Mother 3: The Aftermath
by LordLenne
Summary: Follows the ending events of Mother 3. The world is reset, bringing back everyone and everything back to what was normal, including Lucas's family. How will their normal lives continue? And how will they deal with these new islanders... some who happen to be psychic? Platonic LuClauFuel. And eventually... the other Mother heroes are involved.
1. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** This chapter contains Mother 3 major spoilers. If you do not wish to be spoiled by major plot events that occur in the game, do not continue reading.

 **~W~W~W~**

 **Chapter contains:** LuClau (platonic).

* * *

Chapter 1: The Aftermath

A wearisome boy opens his eyes and gazes at a familiar wooden ceiling. Never has he felt so tired since his death. The first few seconds of his awakening was an unexpected trial he faced as all his senses were thrown off. It took a gruesomely long minute to recover most control of his self and sit up in a bed.

He moves his toes, and then his fingers. He blinked a few times, and rubbed his entire face. He rolled his arms and shoulders. Every small bone and muscle he moved tingled as he commanded motion in them. Then, that was when he remembered, and realized.

Quickly, the boy moves towards a mirror in the room. He found himself, nothing out of the ordinary—which, was out of the ordinary itself. His face was undamaged, and so was the rest of his body. He saw no painful scars on his body as he examined all around.

"I'm…normal," he uttered. It was like a miracle. It was all too unbelievable, considering that he remembered every single tragedy that he caused and observed not so long ago. He replayed every fragment of heartbreaking scenes that he witnessed in his entire life. It was like a casual movie theatre in his mind, and the most important person in his life seemed to have slipped by his thoughts until he finished reminiscing.

"Lucas…!" he mumbled next, drawing the person's image in his mind. The boy runs down a set of stairs and into another familiar setting. He half-expected to see his family sitting at the dining table, but no one was there. Then, the boy ran towards the front door, and quickly opened it.

"Arf-arf!" A four-legged beast suddenly jumped through the immediate opening of the door, and tackles the boy. The boy expected to be attacked, but was instead showered with sloppy licks and forceful nudges.

"H-Hey—stop!" cries the boy. His entire being was pinned down by a dog, and he couldn't break free.

"Claus…?"

The dog jumps to the side and the boy looks up, seeing a reflection of his self at the doorway. He tears up immediately and runs to embrace who he remembered as his cherished brother.

"Lucas!" he cries out. "You're okay!"

"So are you…" replies the blonde twin. "How are you feeling, Claus?"

"Me?" The older twin brother named Claus refreshed all his senses after pulling away from the other boy. He familiarized himself with his physical features and felt nothing out of the ordinary. "I'm fine. Nothing broken."

Lucas nodded. "That's good. But are you sure you're okay? You were asleep for about a three days."

"Three…days?" Claus repeated. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember what happened?" Lucas questioned.

Claus did his best to recall what occurred before his long slumber. The most recent thing in his memory was a fuzzy vision of his brother in front of him in a darkened place. It almost felt like a dream, yet at the same time, he had a feeling it was something real.

Claus touched his palm to his forehead. "I'm…not too sure."

Lucas grinned weakly. "Let's get you breakfast first, then I'll fill you in."

* * *

 **:*:**

Claus patiently sat at the dining table, patting his pet dog's head gently. Boney quietly growled in his place as he received a loving gesture from one of his cherished companions.

Lucas returned from the fireplace after filling the air with the scent of cooked eggs. Claus immediately knew what his brother was going to make from the beginning, starting with the sound of an egg cracking. He listened carefully to the sound of whisking, frying, and flipping whilst enjoying the wafting aroma that filled the house. Claus thought that if he were upstairs, he would be able to smell the meal from his bed, just like he could long ago. He would wake up immediately to the odor, forget to wake up his brother, and rush down to the table.

Claus almost drifted away in his seat until he heard a plate land in front of him. A plate of a well-cooked omelet softly sizzled with heat, asking to be devoured immediately. A helping of generous ketchup was also added on the side, just like he usually preferred.

"It looks good," Claus commented.

Lucas grinned as he sat down with his own plate. "It's probably not the same as Mom's, but I think it turned out okay."

Claus had already sliced a piece and took it into his mouth. "Tastes good to me."

The blonde smiled as he began picking at his own food. As he ate, he watched his brother happily take in the food that he prepared.

Claus eventually finished his plate, and thanked Lucas for the meal. Beside him was Boney still, and so he patted him again, watching him wag his tail with relaxation.

"So you don't remember anything?" Lucas uttered.

Claus looked back at Lucas, nodding slowly. "I remember what happened up until…Mom. Everything after that…was scary."

"What do you mean?" Lucas inquired.

Claus put his hand to his head again. "What happened after Mom dying…I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or if it was real. I almost got killed by a giant drago, but then someone saved me. I was thankful at first, but then I was put through…torture."

"Torture?"

Claus slowly nodded. "Half of my body wasn't under my control. When I managed to regain control, I was punished. Whipped, electrocuted, beat up…among other things. I was also forced to go through with things I didn't want to do. Whenever I refused, I was punished."

"That's…terrible," Lucas commented.

Claus shook his head. "And after that, it's all a blur. All I know is that I was with someone I hated."

"So you don't know…" Lucas remarked.

"Don't know what?" Claus asked.

"Do you know what the 'Seven Needles' are?" Lucas inquired.

Claus paused for a moment. "It sounds familiar."

Lucas purposely hesitated. "What about the 'Dark Dragon'?"

"…Sounds familiar, too. Mind just filling me in on everything?"

Lucas nodded. "The ' _Seven Needles_ ' are magical pillars that keep the ' _Dark Dragon_ ' sealed. When they are all pulled, the Dark Dragon wakes up, and grants the person who pulled them their wishes, whether good or bad. You pulled three of them, but you had bad wishes at the time."

"Why's that?"

"You…were brainwashed—by that person you hated."

Claus closed his eyes, and thought carefully. "I see. So what happened?"

Lucas grinned. "I managed to pull the other four, and the Dark Dragon responded to my wishes."

"What'd you wish for?" Claus asked.

Lucas took a calming breath. "For everything to go back to normal."

"Normal?" Claus inquired.

Lucas nodded. "A lot of things turned out bad after you were gone. There was destruction, disorder, and hatred all over the place. People died, including you. All because of _that guy_. I just wanted all the bad things to go away and return Tazmilly Island—well, the whole world—back to normal."

"Wait, including _me?_ " Claus repeated. "I _died_? How am I here then?"

Lucas weakly grinned. "Like I said, I wanted everything to go back to normal. To do that, the Dark Dragon destroyed everything in the entire world, but restored it to a certain state. He essentially reset everything. He brought you back to life like I wanted. You were just out cold for a while after you came back."

"Okay, that's good, I guess. So, why are we at Grandpa's place? And where's Grandpa—and well, Mom and Dad?"

"We woke up near here, so it was better to let you rest here. And Dad's okay, he's out helping with fixing up the town. I haven't found Grandpa yet. Or Mom."

Claus widened his eyes, "You haven't found Grandpa or Mom?"

Lucas nodded. "The dragon's power can easily restore things like land and buildings, but I think life takes some more time. I found you beside me when I woke up, but I looked around and didn't find my friends. I eventually found Dad, and some of the townsfolk, but not everyone. Eventually everything will go back to normal, but only in due time. We just have to wait right now."

Claus rubbed his head. "Well…this is a lot to take in."

"I know, and you don't have to force yourself to understand right now," Lucas told. "All you have to do is just rest and things will be fine before you know it."

Claus nodded and smiled at his brother. "I just hope I can forget these awful memories."

Lucas frowned, "Sadly, the dragon can't erase those memories. They're proof that you experienced the things that have to be changed."

Claus's expression turned disappointed as well, and he deeply huffed. Lucas continued, "But after everything goes back to normal, we'll be busy enjoying life that you should eventually forget about them. I know so."

"I'll take your word for it. But as for now, I think I'll rest like you said."

Claus walked over to the stairs and paused after the first few steps. He looked over to his brother, who was watching him. "What're you going to do now?"

Lucas stood from his seat, and Boney instinctively went to his side. "I have to go out and help make sure everything is getting back to normal. People are going to be asking questions, and they may end up getting lost, so I have to go make sure they're okay."

Lucas clutched his chest. "…And if Mom already came back, she should be out there somewhere, so I'm also going to look for her with Boney."

"Alright," Claus remarked.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Lucas asked.

"Of course," Claus told. "I may have been put through a lot of painful things, but I'm still your tough older brother."

"Good to hear," Lucas said, smiling. "Dad might not make it here until really late tonight. I won't be out too long, but don't go crying if you start missing me."

Claus scoffed, "I'll be fine. I'm just going to take a nice nap. You go do your thing."

Lucas nodded, and then headed out the front door with Boney. Claus retreated upstairs and eased himself onto his bed. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. His mind slowly emptied and relaxed into nothingness, but eventually he gradually recollected his memories.

Claus starts from the beginning, where he was living a normal life with his family. Everything had seemed so right at the time, and he never considered that anything could ruin such a life. He wished that the vision he reminisced was a dream he would never wake up from.

Then, a terrorizing face of a mechanized drago slowly faded in his sights and continued to creep closer in his view. Before he is consumed, he falls as the ground disappears from beneath his feet. As he is whisked away into darkness, he sees the fading faces of everyone he knew. After a long fall, he could not recognize his own family. This turned into a heart-wrenching pain, causing Claus to struggle around in his sleep. He knew at that time, he felt death.

At some point, he wounds up detained in a facility. It was a place that he was raised in after experiencing death. That was where he met his savior who masked the most dreadful evil that he had ever seen. On the first day, he was thankful to have been given another chance. For the next three years, he wished he had truly died. Nothing could have been worse than being experimented on, be used as something less than a plaything and a tool, and manipulated against his own will. Claus felt something worse than death.

He felt weak, and was taught of how worthless his life had been.

He was completely trapped, and he knew that he could do nothing to break free—nothing at all. It wasn't until he met his brother again, but only at the very end of everything. It was at that time that he got the chance to struggle and finally be free of it all: to die, as he wished.

He fell again, this time he really felt like he was falling into complete darkness. He wanted to wake up so badly, but it was as if a familiar evil force prevented him from doing so. He could almost hear the silent whisper of that evil invading his mind, striking a chilling scare into him. The shock and torment gradually built up as Claus struggled to open his eyes, and eventually he forced himself awake with a loud gasp.

Claus slowed his breathing as he checked his surroundings. Everything in the room was still as he had left it. He wiped his forehead and took a deep breath to calm himself. It partially worked, and Claus accepted it and laid back down to try and sleep again.

Claus hoped that all he saw was truly a dream, but a part of him knew all those scenes were things that had happened. He wanted to forget all those awful memories. Everything was so vivid that he was forced to accept it as a part of him. Even if he was normal now, his mechanized body had been something that was raised with him against his own will for three whole years. He could never forget those terrible times, and it was an unpleasant feeling.

What could Claus do now? To try and forget them meant remembering them at the very least, and so it was a loop of anxiety and stress in his head. He did his best to remember that everything was normal now, but he could never throw away the trauma he went through.

Claus dreams again, remembering of the pain he went through. Then, he wonders of the despair that he inflicted on the innocent. He remembers hurting comrades that his king deemed as disposable, and never had the chance to apologize to them. He also knew he brought certain misery to the island civilization, and couldn't do a thing to improve it.

Worst of all, he remembers hurting his own family: father, mother, and brother. And then, he fears that he would never be forgiven.

Claus opens his eyes again, and stares deep into the wooden roof.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ease the tension dwelling within him.

What would his father say? What would his mother say?

What would _he_ tell them?

Claus leaves his bed and heads downstairs, walking to the front door. He opens it and sees the friendly grassland swaying around the house. Looking up at the sky, he sees a gloom blue hovering over an abundance of clouds slowly swimming in the air. A fresh breeze blows by the boy and leaves him at a moment of peace as he gazed at the sky. For a while, all of his worries seemed to have completely disappeared.

…It took a moment for Claus to realize that the cloudy formation and the strange shade of blue in the sky felt abnormal. He stood still, carefully listening to the wind tackling the grass around him.

A rainy day was approaching, and he was certain of it.

Claus looked out to the valley beyond. He hoped his brother would return before a storm could stop him.

He turned back to the cabin, shaking his head. There was no reason to doubt. He knew Lucas would come back to him no matter what.

* * *

 **:*:**

The next time Claus opened his eyes, he found himself back in his resting bed. He was awakened by the sound of rumbling surrounding the cabin—a sound akin to harsh thunder.

Claus wasn't sure how long he had slept. All he remembered was falling asleep to the low drumming of rain impacting the log house. He looked around the room and saw that his brother was still absent. He headed downstairs next, but no one was present there either. Claus opened the front door just slightly to get a view of outside. A cold wind struck his face as soon as he peeked through.

The sky was darker than before, but dim enough for Claus to see into the valley just a little. It was drizzling still, although the severe sound of rain crashing onto the ground was more eminent. Low roars of thunder clapping from far away could be heard from his spot, and he hoped the sounds would not approach his current residence.

Claus quickly closed the door and leaned against it, sliding down slowly. Hitting the floor, he huddled his knees and shut his eyes. He found himself trapped in the log cabin.

Claus began to doubt so many things as his fear welled within him. In such a storm like this, who would come to rescue him? Does anyone even remember him, after so long? Have they even forgiven him?

…Where was Lucas?

Claus crunched his eyes and held the side of his head. He believed in his brother's courage. Knowing his twin, he wouldn't be stopped even by the stormiest of storms if it meant reuniting with him.

Yet, there was still a darkness in his heart that forsook his beliefs. Anxiety developed from his fear, and it took form in hesitant breathing.

After a moment of reassurance, Claus found the desire to see everyone again. Instead of waiting around, he decided to act.

Claus rushes upstairs and puts on his jacket, and took an umbrella in hand. Once he stepped outside the cabin, he rushed out to the valley ahead. Before he could take a step into the gorge, however, he freezes.

Claus was baffled at how stupid he looked like, suddenly kneeling on the ground. He knew he was on the correct path to the village, but he just would not dare move a muscle any more beyond the last cactus within the territory. His umbrella was whisked away, and rain continued to pelt his face. He struggled to gaze ahead.

The darkness within the ravine ahead was deepened with a darker black. The sight of nothing ahead frightened the boy. No, he saw something, and it was that most terrible face that haunted him.

 _Weak,_ and _worthless._

Those were two words that Claus hated to hear, and he heard them so many times by a single voice. He heard it once more, and it echoed countless times in his head.

Before, Claus would be brutalized if he had spoken back. But, as the rain poured on…

"Shut up," he mumbles.

 _Weak. Worthless._

"SHUT UP!"

 _Weak. Worthless._

Claus shouts out a terrifying howl, hysterical enough to compete with the thundering weather. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAAAD!"

The boy continues to scream, kneeling into the ground and punching the dirt repeatedly. His violent sounds muffled out the footsteps of what sounded like him being surrounded by soldiers ready to battle his tantrum.

However, instead of being forcibly restrained, he was called out to.

"Claus!"

His wrist was firmly grabbed, but the hand felt gentle. Claus did not instinctively struggle it off. He quickly looked up and saw his reflection.

As he looked into the other's eyes, Claus couldn't say anything to excuse himself. Tears had been instantly washed away from his face, so he had no explanation. But no words needed to be said. His brother understood his pain.

* * *

 **:*:**

Claus was brought back to the cabin by his brother. The storm filled the moments of silence that took place whenever Lucas didn't say anything involving tending to their drenched selves. All that had been agreed upon was the removal of their wet clothes to be dried by whatever heat the fireplace provided, and they left their selves be wrapped in only towels and blankets.

They sat together by the wall, staring at their clothes laid out on the ground in front of them. The brothers felt relaxed by the heat that oozed out from the fireplace, despite how weak it looked.

Nothing was said between them for the first few minutes since they sat down. Both wanted to break the silence, but they weren't sure where to start. When they least expected the other to talk, they both spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry for—"

The twins looked at each other, weakly grinning.

"You first," Lucas uttered quickly.

Claus reluctantly agreed. "I'm sorry for troubling you like this. I didn't know these were all the clothes we had."

"It's not your fault," Lucas reassured. "It's my fault for leaving you for so long, and I'm sorry."

"Yeah, what took you?" Claus questioned.

Lucas looked into his brother's eyes. "Everyone in Tazmilly came back."

"…Everyone?"

The blonde nodded. "Including Mom."

A ripple of water could be seen welling up in Claus's eyes, signifying how happy he was to hear the news. "I can't believe it…"

"Neither could I," Lucas told. "But when I got there, everyone was gathered around her at the inn. She was still in bed, but Dad and I pretty much cried a lot. Dad told me to come get you and bring you back to the village..."

"...But then it rained," Claus finished the thought. "Is Mom going to be okay?"

"She's just sleeping, like you were. It'll take time for her to wake up."

Claus nodded. "Wow…so everything is really going back to normal."

"Yeah. It is."

"…"

"…"

Claus looked down at his wrapped knees. "But it won't be the same, you know."

"Why's that?" Lucas asked.

"…If I remember everything, then so will everyone else. Everyone's going to know that it was my fault that the world had to reset."

"Everyone doesn't know it was you in a mask. They don't have to know—"

"They deserve to know," Claus argued. "There wouldn't be a reset without me in the first place. They have the right to know who was responsible."

"So what're you saying? Are you afraid of everyone judging you?"

"Kind of."

Lucas huffed through his nose. "They'll understand. And if they don't, I'll make them understand."

"…I still hurt a lot of people."

"Don't blame yourself, Claus," Lucas reassured. "You know it wasn't your fault."

"That's what I keep telling myself." Claus places his hand over his chest. "But I knew, deep down, I could've fought back. I could've stopped him if I tried. But I was too afraid."

"Afraid of… _him?_ "

Claus nodded. "I can't ever forget the things he's done to me. He always talked down to me, and even threatened to kill you and Dad if I ever disobeyed. Even now, I…" He paused, breathing a few times. "…I can still hear his voice in my head. I want to forget him so bad, but…it hurts too much. I can't take it."

Lucas stops leaning against the wall and looks to his brother. "No one can hurt you anymore, Claus. You'll be okay."

Claus brought his hands out and dug his fingers into his hair. "How can you be so sure? What if another person tries to bring destruction to the world again? What if they take advantage of me and…I hurt you again?"

Lucas reached out to Claus's hand and gently brought it down. He gazed deeply into his twin's eyes. "That's never going to happen. I'm here to protect you from now on."

Claus clings onto his brother's grip, saddened by his own dispirited will, but also comforted by the warmth of the closest person to him. His tears well up again as he puts his trust in Lucas's words, and leans into the other's shoulder.

Lucas gave his brother all the time he needed to expel the grief within him. Even being apart for so long, he understood that the pain Claus had gone through was something unimaginable that no person should ever have to go through. Lucas regrets not being there for Claus all this time, but he knows that from now on, he can.

The twins continue to lay by the wall in silence, with the older twin relaxed against his sibling. He almost falls asleep, but not without another utterance.

"I ended up really missing you," Claus whispers.

Lucas reassures him again with another small grip in his brother's hand. "I know. I promise I'm not leaving you alone ever again."


	2. The Bond of Brothers

**Disclaimer:** This is a warning. **This chapter contains what can be considered adult-oriented content**. Do not read this story unless you are over 18 or consider yourself a mature teen in accordance to FictionRatings rating guidelines. By choosing to proceed, you acknowledge that you are willing to read such content because you are 18 or older, given consent by a legal guardian, you have chosen to ignore these warnings, or you acknowledge yourself as mature enough, and you relinquish your ability to reserve any legal claim for any inconveniences or damages you may encounter.

 **Disclaimer 2:** This chapter contains Mother 3 major spoilers. If you do not wish to be spoiled by major plot events that occur in the game, do not continue reading.

 **~W~W~W~**

 **Chapter contains:** LuClauFuel (platonic).

* * *

Chapter 2: The Bond of Brothers

"I'm sorry to ask you of this again," Lighter mentioned, patting his son's head.

"Oh, it's no worry!" Hinawa mentioned.

Fuel casually grinned after he and his father had been welcomed inside the cabin by his friend's mother and father. He hasn't said a word since stepping in, grasping his belongings close to him to make sure he didn't seem like he was imposing too strongly by accidentally dropping them onto the floor. Despite keeping a calm, straight face, he was excited to be at the cabin for what he counted to be the third time because it meant spending more time with his friends, whose friendships he cherished ever since they became good friends when they were younger.

"She's right," Flint added. "The island's not done healing itself. There's work to do and there's just no helping it."

"Right," Lighter nodded. "Your boys did enough to bring back everything for us. We adults can do the rest for them."

Fuel understood the small talk the two were having. He retained part of his memories from before the world was reset—when everything on Nowhere Islands had gone downhill. Then, after learning Lucas managed to reset the world, everything was going back to normal, although much of the island, including the village, did need some retouching. That was mainly the reason why he had to spend another night with his two friends, so that he wouldn't be left alone at his home. However, it was all the more reason to bond with them.

Flint turned to his wife. "You sure there's nothing you need done before we go?"

"I'm sure," Hinawa told. "We'll be fine by ourselves until you get back."

Lighter looked down at his son. "You going to be nice to the twins, right, Fuel?"

"I will," Fuel responded, clutching his backpack close to him. "By the way, where are they?"

"Ah, I'm sure you want to go ahead and play with them now," Hinawa mentioned. She turned around and cupped a palm to her cheek. "Boys, Fuel is here!"

The adults and sole child at the door heard stamping feet make their way towards the stairs. When they showed their selves at the top, they playfully raced each other down the steps, despite their mother warning them to not run down.

"Fuel!" the twins exclaimed, their expressions painted with a great smile.

"Hey, guys," Fuel responded, smiling widely back. Both his arms were grabbed by the twins, one for each of them, and he was dragged up the stairs with them, laughing to their selves along the way.

"They get along so well," Lighter mumbled.

"It's what happens when your son spends enough nights here," Flint told. "Well, let's get going, partner."

The two fathers nodded and stepped out the door, with Hinawa waving good-bye to them. Once she closed the door, the sounds of heavy stomping and laughter could be heard more audibly, and she took her time going upstairs to check on the children. Arriving at the top, she found Claus and Fuel locking Lucas on the ground, struggling while giggling and playfully crying to push the older boys off him.

"Now boys," Hinawa announced, and they immediately turned their attention to her. "I don't mind the roughhousing, but remember, it's getting ready for bed at eight thirty, and then lights out at nine o'clock, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Fuel said, letting go of Lucas's legs.

"Okay, mom," the twins responded.

Hinawa cheerfully smiled at them, and nodded. "If you boys need anything, I'll be weaving downstairs. Claus, Lucas, take good care of Fuel." She headed down the steps and let the boys be.

Claus removed himself from his brother's body, standing up and stretching. "Well, we got an hour till bed," he said. "Fuel, did you bring the board game?"

"Of course!" Fuel paced to his backpack and set aside his pajamas and toiletries, pulling out a box and setting it towards the twins. "Ready to get beaten again, Lucas?"

"Please," Lucas scoffed. He crossed his arms, looking proud. "I'm going to beat you both this time."

"That's what you said last time and you still lost," Claus mentioned. "Even when you read Fuel's mind, you lost."

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Fuel asked, chuckling.

"Oh, quiet! It'll be different tonight, I know it!" Lucas pouted at his brother.

Fuel smiled as he watched the two brothers exchange playful words at each other. Looking at their smiles, he remembered those same exact expressions of joy when he spent his first sleepover with him a week ago, and then reminisced back on when he first met them at a playground in the village. It took some time for the twins to warm up to him because he was slightly older and taller, so he intimidated them at first, but Fuel found his time with the them to be always entertaining. After getting along so well, the twins admitted they liked to treat him like another brother, jokingly fighting with Claus like brothers would do, or being a guardian and advisor at times for Lucas. But no matter who played the role of older brother or younger brother, they were all nice to each other.

Their board game ended sooner than expected, and they used the little remaining time to roughhouse each other. In fact, the loser of the board game promised to suffer being double-teamed, and so, Lucas was easily pinned down by Claus, followed by Fuel's assistance. Just as the twin's mother returned upstairs to bring a futon for the sleeping guest, they were found genuinely laughing with each other.

Hinawa encouraged basic modesty even knowing the boys' closeness with each other, and so she had a courtesy curtain installed for such a reason. Trusting the boys to head to sleep just in time, she made sure they were all beginning to change their clothes, and then headed downstairs and chose to weave more until eventually falling asleep herself. After Fuel changed into his pajamas on the other side, Claus dimmed the room lights to signal to his mother that they were climbing into their beds. However, Fuel sat with the twins at their bed, spending a last few moments talking with them about a past event they had earlier.

"Can you still believe we had that thing with the other guys today?" Claus inquired.

Fuel didn't know who was more embarrassed: Claus, Lucas, or himself. However, priding himself on being the oldest of the three, he thought to prevent awkward silence by continuing the topic. Though he tried to make it they all escaped the thought of the events earlier, he accidentally said words that only encouraged more talk about it.

"What, the puberty talk?" Fuel questioned. "That was the most awkward hour of my life."

"I thought it was interesting," Lucas chipped in nervously.

Claus squinted at his twin brother. "What was interesting about it?"

"Well…" he paused to gulp, hesitant to utter the different topics that arose. "Growth spurts, mood swings, our voice changing, wet dreams…"

"…our penises changing size—" Fuel added in nonchalantly.

"Ugh, dude," Claus gasped.

"What's wrong with penises?" Lucas questioned. "We all have them."

"Isn't it… embarrassing to talk about?" Claus asked.

"Claus," Lucas sighed, glaring disappointingly at him. "…You make jokes about mine almost every time we bathe together."

"That's—"

"What kind of jokes?" Fuel asked.

"Stuff like, 'haha, you're still smaller than me', or, now recently, 'you don't have hair yet'," Lucas answered, turning his head away from his brother firmly.

"Wow, you're so mean," Fuel told the carrot-haired boy.

"Well, it's true!" Claus exclaimed. "I mean, we're both thirteen, but I already have more than he does. I don't understand that."

"Weren't you listening to Mr. Bronson at all?" Lucas inquired. "He said everyone goes through puberty at different times."

"Yeah, I remember Nichol's voice cracking when he was asking a question," Fuel mentioned. "Sounded like it was happening to him already, and he's younger than all of us."

"What about you?" Claus asked the brunet.

"Me?" Fuel paused for a moment, trying to think of any memorable changes. "Well, I think my voice is kind of deeper, and maybe I'm getting taller than you guys—"

"No, I mean like…" Claus paused, trying to lower his voice softer than he had been whispering throughout their conversation. "… _your penis_."

"…What about it?" Fuel responded.

"Do you have hair around it like me?" Claus questioned.

Fuel hesitated, his face falling slightly pink. "I… never really noticed. I haven't checked."

"Well, check now," Claus demanded.

"Why?" Fuel asked. Lucas mouthed the same question, but refused a sound the split second he heard Fuel first.

"Then we'll know if puberty is affecting you a lot," Claus answered. "Because like… you're older than us, and if you don't have hair yet, then it's just… weird."

Fuel sensed genuine curiosity from Claus, but turned to Lucas in hopes of him protesting. When he met blond's eyes, he realized he was tied with Claus in having awkward eager. Lucas seemed to have sincerely liked knowing the development of the male body, but Claus appeared to want to know for competitive purposes. Not wanting to cruelly disappoint either of them, Fuel considered satisfying both their curiosities.

"Fine," Fuel said.

Fuel pulled open the waist of his pajama pants, not too far enough to reveal only as much as he needed to see. While he examined himself, he failed to notice that Lucas had leaned closer, who became too interested in knowing the result. Due to the dimmed light in the room, it was hard to quickly identify if he had pubic hair or not, so Fuel rubbed his fingers at his crotch to see if he could get a feel for hair instead.

"Yeah, I have some," Fuel finally answered. As he looked up, he discovered how close the blonde was, looking just as far into the depths of his pajamas. Fuel quickly let go of his waistband, but it was too late as Lucas had seen enough. The blonde confirmed the existence of the brunet's pubic hair, and Claus took a moment to lump Fuel with him and pride over the fact they shared something Lucas didn't have. However, just before awkward silence arrived, Lucas settled the air with an even more awkward question.

"Fuel, what's wrong with your penis?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Fuel questioned back.

"Yours has like… skin all around it," Lucas described.

"What?" Claus mumbled.

"Yours doesn't?" Fuel inquired.

Lucas shook his head, and then raised himself onto his knees. He lifted his shirt slightly, and then lowered his pants enough for Fuel to take a glance. The action surprised the other two boys as they came to realize Lucas was being bolder than usual, but Fuel slowed into a realization after seeing what the blonde had shown him. He noticed that the exterior design was different than his own, and things became a little clearer to him.

"Oh…" Fuel mouthed, but he turned his head away, trying not to impolitely ogle. "Well, it _is_ different," he commented as the blond pulled up his pants.

"What's so different?" Claus asked.

"Well… does yours look like Lucas's?" Fuel asked.

"Yeah," Claus said, but refused to show off. "What, yours doesn't look like ours?"

"It doesn't," Lucas answered. "Why?"

"Lemme see?" Claus asked.

Fuel gulped. "I'm not gonna show you my penis just like that," he denied.

"You just saw Lucas's," Claus mentioned. "And it's basically like mine, so _technically_ … you've seen mine too. So, it's only fair to show us yours, right?"

"That's…" Fuel squinted at the carrot-haired, unable to find a way to deny the reasoning.

"We won't tell anyone," Lucas told. "You're like our brother, remember? This stays between us, I promise. Right, Claus?"

"Yeah, sure," Claus casually nodded.

Fuel looked at both twins, who slightly leaned towards him in hopes of acceptance. He pinned his hands down between his legs, his arms huddled against his crotch as a shield. He felt something that made him jerk—a stimulating feeling that reminded him that it was okay to be open with his two best friends. He was curious himself as to why he was somewhat different to the two boys as well, and perhaps if they progressed, he would find out the answers with them.

"This really stays between us?" Fuel repeated.

"Cross our hearts," Lucas answered. He then looked to his brother, who nodded affirmingly.

Fuel huffed in a relaxing breath, and scooted off the bed, standing in between the twins. He clipped at the waist of his shorts again with two fingers, tugging them outward. One side of leggings spontaneously fell, followed by the other side, revealing Fuel's white briefs with a very small bulge pushing at the fabric. He had then slid his fingers into his underwear and pushed down, then lifted his shirt. His penis sprang forward weakly, and it took some time for the twins to stare and process the image in the dim room. Fuel shed off the awkwardness easily after seeing that his friends weren't immediately shocked or scared from looking at him, but his legs were still frozen with unease. After enough examining, the twins confirmed that there was something very different about Fuel.

"Oh my god, Fuel…" Claus gasped, obviously gazing in awe at the brunet.

"Is that really skin? Did it grow from puberty or something?" Lucas asked immediately after.

Fuel's expression twitched. He caught the attention of the twins so easily just after sliding off his underwear, and found himself filling with confidence. "It is skin," he told, "but it's not from puberty. It's been like this since I was born."

Claus leaned closer, almost scaring the brunet to step back. "Well, I see hair, but you have more than me I think."

"Claus…" Lucas sighed. He looked back up at Fuel. "What do you mean you had it? Why don't we?"

"I don't know," Fuel told, "I asked my dad, and he told me this is called foreskin. I had it since I was born."

"No offense, but you have like a weird-looking penis," Claus answered. "I mean, the hole is so… small and weird. Isn't it annoying to like… go to the bathroom with?"

Fuel gasped a calming breath. "I didn't tell you that you can pull back the skin, like this."

He tugged back at his penis, pulling the foreskin towards his body. The flesh casing stretched back effortlessly, and revealed a more recognizable form of a penis that the twins were familiar with. The head was curved and the shaft almost looked as flatly thin as their own. The two boys gazed widely, and were amazed when Fuel tugged the foreskin forward, and then back again. The transformation was like magic to the twins—they never expected an exhibition like this from another boy.

"That's so weird…" Lucas voiced, "…but interesting."

"Wait," Claus said. He stood up and dropped his pajama pants, and then lifted his shirt up, revealing the sight to the other two. Fuel wasn't sure if he should feel embarrassed or look away, but he noticed Lucas wasn't too bothered, and was rather wondering what his brother was trying to do. Claus tugged the skin of his penis forward, managing to cover the head in exchange for his shaft shrinking in size. However, when he let go, his member spontaneously sprang back out, releasing the skin back to its original state.

"Mine won't stay," Claus concluded. "So is that like, extra skin that wraps around you all the time?"

"I guess," Fuel answered.

"You sure you didn't grow it over time since you were born?" Claus told. "You know, like puberty?"

"I'm sure," Fuel answered again. "Every time I pee, I have to pull the skin back. That's just how it is."

"That must be annoying," Lucas commented.

Fuel shrugged after pulling his pants back up. "It is, but you get used to it."

Claus pulled his pants up as well. "Must be annoying to masturbate with, too."

"…Masturbate?" Fuel stared at Claus like he was speaking a foreign language.

"Yeah, _masturbate_ ," Claus repeated. "Doesn't the extra skin make it annoying to do too?"

"Um…"

Fuel turned to the blond with an unsure expression. Lucas was waiting for an answer to also satisfy his curiosity, but then realized that the older boy hadn't understood what Claus was talking about.

"You don't know what masturbating is?" Lucas stated.

"No…" Fuel answered. "…Well, I mean, I heard about it from Biff one time, but I've never done it."

"You've _never_ masturbated?" Claus inquired. He grinned with pride, impressed from the fact he one-upped Fuel again. "Wow, you're missing out."

"What's so good about it?" Fuel asked back.

"It's something you have to see for yourself," Lucas told. "But it feels really good."

"Yeah, Lucas and I do it whenever we can," Claus added. "Sometimes we even compete doing it."

"Compete? How do you even do that?" Fuel questioned.

"Well, we can show you how it works first," Lucas stated. "Only if you want to, though."

Fuel looked down, lightly clenching a fist at his chest. He remembered how Biff, one of the older boys in the village, was conversing about it casually with his brother, Butch. He hadn't meant to overhear them, but he was passing by their house on his own way to town. He had been walking behind them while the brothers failed to notice him, and that was how he learned the terms "masturbate" and "jerking off" as they described it between each other. Fuel thought that what Biff and Butch were doing was something only the two brothers did as if it was a daily family thing. He never tried to do something that sounded weird and assumed it required more effort to do to himself considering his state of foreskin.

However, he trusted the twins more than he did with the two brothers. Lucas was never much of a liar himself, so if he said it was something it felt good, then it must have been true. The brunet nodded weakly, "Sure."

"Really?" Lucas reconfirmed, sitting upright immediately.

"Yeah, I mean, I want to see how it feels for myself," Fuel told.

Lucas nodded to his brother, and Claus quietly snuck over to the stairs. He held onto the rail as he tiptoed down, ensuring the wood didn't creak. He only ducked down for a moment, and saw that his mother had been sound asleep in her lounge chair with a blanket over herself.

"What's he doing?" Fuel asked.

"Making sure our mom is asleep," Lucas answered. "When we masturbate, we have to do it in private. That's what our dad told us."

"Your dad taught you what masturbating was?" Fuel questioned.

"No, Claus and I learned it by ourselves while we were bathing one time, and we asked him about it."

"What'd he say?"

Lucas smiled innocently. "He said, it's a healthy thing for boys to do, always do it in private when no one is around… oh, and don't do it too much in one day."

"Uh… is masturbating dangerous to do?" Fuel inquired.

"No, no," Lucas said, almost chuckling. "I mean, we're touching our penises, so it's not like it's something we should do in front of anyone else. And it's kind of like exercise—our hands and bodies need rest."

"Coast is clear," Claus said, returning from the stairs. "Mom's deep asleep."

Lucas nodded, and scooted back. "Okay, let's get under the blanket just in case."

In the large bed that was meant for his parents, Lucas crawled over to the far side, welcoming the other two over. Fuel quietly climbed in and was followed by Claus. Fuel nervously laid down in the middle, watching the two grab the blanket from both sides and drag it up towards their chests, but then lowered it to their stomachs.

"In case our mom does come up here, we pull the blanket over ourselves," Lucas informed.

"Okay, so what now?" Fuel asked.

Without a vocal answer, the brunet watched the two boys struggle their lower bodies for a moment. He realized that they were lowering their pajama pants, so he anxiously did the same. As he looked down to see how his pants were dragged down to his ankles, he caught sight of Lucas's penis again, and now also Claus's. Like how he had described, the carrot-haired boy did have hair at his crotch, though the amounts were less copious than Fuel's.

"Just relax, and do what we do," Claus told.

Fuel lay silent as he watched the twins take their dominant hand and begin to touch their own penises. Each placed two fingers at first, but as their lengths grew in size, they added more and began stroking their selves in more fluid motions. Claus's pace of breathing became more audible to the brunet: it was low, but somewhat intense due to a stimulant feeling. Lucas's eyes were closed, and his lips were slightly ajar, breathing out from his mouth. Fuel failed to notice his own size was growing until he felt his penis limp toward him and poked his stomach. He had to urge to grab his own, but was still uncertain.

"Um… so you really just keep rubbing your penis back and forth?" Fuel whispered.

"Yeah, it'll feel good, trust us," Lucas responded.

Fuel looked back down at himself, and then touched the shaft of his length. Then, he slowly stroked himself back and forth, still uncertain to expose himself to unknown feelings. However, he looked left and right at the twin's hands, and their speed outpaced his own. So, he tried to match himself with their pace, and then came to understand the same sensations the twins were experiencing.

"Ooh…" Fuel huffed out. His penis had increased to its max size just like the twins, and for the moment upon realizing it, he smirked at the fact that he was bigger than both of them. Then, he experimented with the feel of stroking his own penis in different ways, making sure he comprehended the limits and freedom of his motions. He had been stroking while his foreskin still covered him, so he pulled it back and then tried to jerk himself again while keeping the skin back. The cool air tickling the head of his member added a different, but heightened shock to his senses, and he found himself in a more enjoyable position.

"This feels amazing…" Fuel mumbled out.

"Nnng—!"

Fuel paused his motions, and looked over to the direction where he heard a high-pitched whimper. Turning his head right, Lucas's body had jerked upwards while he gasped loudly, and his breathing was heavy for the following moment.

"Hah, you lost this one too," Claus told.

Fuel wasn't too sure what happened, but he noticed Lucas completely stopped touching himself. He looked back at Claus, who was still stroking his own erection.

"Whatever," Lucas sighed out after a few more breaths. He reached over to the countertop on his side and grabbed a tissue, wiping a part of his hand and his stomach. It was only then that Fuel noticed some sort of liquid had mysteriously appeared on his body.

"What happened?" Fuel questioned to the blond.

"I finished," Lucas answered, and then he sighed again. "And lost to Claus again."

Fuel was still uncertain of the meaning of losing. "You can't keep masturbating forever?"

"No, you'll know when you're done," Lucas told. "Just keep doing it."

Fuel nodded and resumed stroking his length, the foreskin still pulled back towards him. He mainly relied on the proximal flesh of his fingers to stroke himself off, but after realizing he could grasp himself to his palm, he tried that, and felt another level of stimulation. The skin of his thumb kept brushing against the head of his penis, and discovered it was a rather sensitive area for him. Fuel's breathing became more hesitant and heavy, but he remembered to quiet himself before either of the twins mentioned anything.

"Here it comes…!" Claus groaned softly. The other two boys looked over and watched him thrust his hip lightly upward. As he heavily sighed out, Fuel noticed a viscous liquid seeping from the tip of Claus's penis and onto his fingers. Lucas had pulled out a tissue, but paused to give his brother a moment to relax before reaching his arm over and handing it to him.

"Did you pee or something?" Fuel questioned.

"It's not pee," Claus answered with a coarse breath.

"We don't know actually," Lucas added. "But it has to come out if you want to feel _really_ good."

"Will it happen to me too?" Fuel questioned.

"Keep going and we'll see."

The blond smiled at Fuel, encouraging him once more to resume. Fuel nodded and resumed a fast pace of hand motions, switching between sheathing himself with his foreskin, and then retracting it again to let the air tingle him after a moment. He was almost lost in the constant flow of pleasure, until he saw two hands approach his body.

Claus's hand had reached below to rub around the lower area of Fuel's crotch, stirring his fingers in and around Fuel's testicles. Lucas gently caressed Fuel's upper leg, causing the brunet jerk as an unwinding current tensed through him instantly. Two different waves of pleasure from two other parts of his body combined with his own motions had greatly pushed Fuel further, enough for him to begin squirming and lightly whimpering.

"I think it's coming…!" Fuel gasped out. With a few more strokes, his own body jerked up, and Claus quickly pulled his hand back. The twins witnessed a shot of liquid from Fuel's penis splash onto his stomach, and a few more began to ooze from the tip, gathering in the gap of the brunet's fingers and his shaft.

Lucas stopped rubbing his friend's leg after seeing the brunet begin his moment of recovery, and then went to grab a few tissues for him. Claus stared in amazement at how much of the unknown liquid Fuel had released from his body, while Lucas grinned at the sight of Fuel panting with relief. When Fuel opened his eyes, Fuel saw the tissues in Lucas's hand, and grabbed to wipe himself clean.

"Wow," Fuel breathed out. "That really felt good."

"Told you," Lucas voiced as he grabbed the stained tissue from Fuel with a clean one. He gathered all the used clumps of tissues, and after pulling up his pants, he went to throw them in the trash can across the room.

"How long have you guys been doing this?" Fuel asked.

"We learned a couple weeks ago," Claus answered. "And we do it every time we're alone, mostly when we're bathing together."

"So mostly in the morning when we take our trip to the hot springs," Lucas reiterated. "Though, this was the first time we did it before bed."

"I think it's better to do it then, because I feel pretty tired now…" Fuel mentioned.

"Yeah, I'm tired too," Claus added.

Lucas climbed back in the bed on his original side. "Well, both of you pull up your pants first before we go to sleep."

The two laughed quietly, and both reached down to pull up their bottom wear. Lucas pulled up his side of the blanket up to their chests, and Claus did the same. The blanket rested tranquilly on their bodies, cloaking the three boys with a reposing and lulling warmth.

With the little energy he still had left, Fuel cleared his throat for the twins to listen to. "You think we can masturbate together again? Like, later when we're together like this?"

"Yeah!" Lucas answered. "That'd be great."

"And you can compete with us too, now that you know how we do it," Claus mentioned.

"How do you guys even compete?" Fuel asked. "Like… the first to shoot, loses?"

"That's how we've been doing it so far," Claus asked. "Lucas is pretty sensitive so he loses quick."

"I am _not_ sensitive," Lucas retorted. "I just… enjoy it too much."

"Who couldn't?" Fuel said, supporting the blond. "I can't believe I haven't been doing this with you guys before."

Lucas giggled quietly. "Just remember, this stays between us, okay? Don't tell your dad, or any of our friends." He reached out and grabbed Fuel's hand, reminding him of their close bond together so that a promise would be assured.

Claus snuck his hand to Fuel's other hand, and lightly collided into it. "Just the three of us is enough, you know," Claus stated.

Fuel nodded, clasping the twins' hands. "Got it," he voiced to Claus, and then turned his head to the other side, facing Lucas. "This'll be our secret."

The brunet's vow settled the mood of the room with silence, and the quiet air began to lull their weary minds. The light breathing resonating in each other's ears relaxed themselves, and the three brothers peacefully fell asleep, holding each other's hands in a gentle and comforting warmth.


	3. The Westwood Farmers

**Disclaimer:** This is a warning. **This chapter contains what can be considered adult-oriented content**. Do not read this story unless you are over 18 or consider yourself a mature teen in accordance to FictionRatings rating guidelines. By choosing to proceed, you acknowledge that you are willing to read such content because you are 18 or older, given consent by a legal guardian, you have chosen to ignore these warnings, or you acknowledge yourself as mature enough, and you relinquish your ability to reserve any legal claim for any inconveniences or damages you may encounter.

 **Disclaimer 2:** This chapter contains Mother 3 major spoilers. If you do not wish to be spoiled by major plot events that occur in the game, do not continue reading.

 **~W~W~W~**

 **Chapter contains:** LuClauFuel (platonic).

* * *

Chapter 3: The Westwood Farmers

Five years passed for the inhabitants of Nowhere Islands. As Lucas fed his favorite horse, he looked back on how much the island changed over time, and how he stepped into a new life of independence.

Lucas and Claus, now young adults, became sibling farmers. They had their own farm since they were both sixteen, and they made bountiful progress working hard in their first two years. Lucas primarily tended to raising animals with genuine care and negotiating exchangeable goods with other ranchers, while Claus excelled in providing food for their selves and the animals they raised using his extensive stamina and strength. There was no monetary value for them to be using their skills of production—rather, they aimed to help contribute to food resources for their hometown along with a few of the other farmer-sponsors.

They had little go on just after building their shacks and fences with their father and a few helpful family friends, but luckily, some of the islanders offered to give them spare livestock and feed to start them off. From then on, with careful planning and hard work, their farm grew into something sturdier and greater. The farm was still fairly sized for now, but with gradual growth and enough patience, they foresaw a prosperous and proud future while living a peaceful life, just as everyone on Nowhere Islands yearned for. Their mother and father knew they had the potential to become fruitful, respectable, and hardworking young men, evident by how eager they were to leave and build a farm on their own.

The blond smiled as he patted his companion, who he named _Hayley_ because her skin color resembled a horse's common favorite food. She had been with him ever since he and his brother began living in their new home just not too far from their old one. Next to her was Claus's horse, _Bob_ , who was sleeping peacefully until he noticed his master's brother approaching them earlier. When he noticed the absence of his rider, he disappointingly sighed.

" _He slept in the barn again, didn't he?_ " Lucas heard the horse's voice echo in his mind.

Lucas chuckled as he patted Bob's head, taking a moment to remember how he teased his brother for having a bad naming sense. "Hayley and I will go get him," he assured out loud.

Lucas strapped on the saddling equipment to his horse, and they headed to the barn together. At the stables, they found Claus sleeping in a circle surrounded by the farm pigs, and Lucas promptly kicked his butt awake and had him get ready for the morning chores.

Lucas began his duties by checking on the only two cows they had, and milked each one for a lengthy period. Then, along with the few sheep, he let them out in the fenced field to feed on the pasture if not the mounds of hay in the barn. Finally, he headed to the nearby chicken coop, and ensured the hens were fed after he checked on any available eggs for picking. As soon as Claus finished stretching, he tossed a bucket of leftovers into the pigs' trough, and then sleepily walked to the tilled farmland and tended to the crops and herbs, checking each plant to see if any were ready to be useful. Over time, the sun's gentle rays warmed and refreshed him, and allowed him to do his work more efficiently.

Claus's tasks usually took longer than what Lucas had to do, so as soon as the blond had finished, he returned to the house and prepared breakfast. Somehow, every time Lucas had finished cooking their breakfast omelettes, Claus walked through the front door just as he set a plate down on the table, and the timing of Claus's convenient entry became a daily morning gag for them. They shared their tiny moment of laughter before they changed the topic.

"Everything go well this morning?" Lucas asked as he sat down across from his brother.

"As usual," Claus answered. "I think we'll have enough food to last us as soon as winter hits."

"And enough for the rest of Tazmily?" Lucas added.

Claus nodded as he took a bite of his breakfast. "Of course. Just have to make sure they all grow nicely."

"Good… by the way, when are you going to fix that hole in the top of the barn?" Lucas asked.

Claus paused, staring at his twin. "I thought you were going to do it."

"I told you we're out of wood," Lucas reminded. "So, you need to head to town to grab some."

"Oh, right… well, I guess if I have to."

"If rain falls again the animals are going to be cold and annoyed. Best do it as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay. I'll head to the village after breakfast. Are you going to come with?"

"I have to, I've got to deliver spare milk." Lucas pointed to the iron jugs sitting by the door. "Moony and Looloo made a lot today."

Claus nodded nonchalantly at the fact, and took the last bite out of his breakfast. He sighed, cherishing the taste of his brother's cooking. "I think it's been a while since I went to Tazmily."

Lucas grinned at the thought. "A little over a week for you, yeah. It'll be nice for us to go together."

Claus brought his finished plate to the sink, and then took a sniff at his collar. "Ugh, ew. I think I caught the pigs's scent. Can I bathe first before we go?"

"We're just going to get sweatier and stinkier later," Lucas informed. "We can bathe after everything's done today."

Claus shrugged. "I guess that makes sense."

 **~W~W~W~**

The twins headed into the direction of their hometown on horseback, wandering through the canyon and forest. It was about a ten-minute ride without rushing, and they decided to enjoy the fresh air and scenery of whatever was left of the Sunshine Forest grounds. Trees had been cut for lumber, and an obvious path was made for islanders to create new homes along the new trail, but enough of the forest was still left untouched to leave the woodland with its ecology. They waved to friendly islanders who made settlements along the trail, remembering how less populated the island used to be until the past couple of years. When they reached one of the gates to town, they looked back on how things have completely changed.

Peaceful travelers who sailed from an unknown and abandoned land, unsure of how far they traveled, had made their way to Nowhere Islands—at least a party of nearly sixty survivors—and the islands' initial inhabitants welcomed them with open arms. Together, they formed mutual relationships, established new settlements, and expanded the island's growth significantly. Families intertwined, trade boomed, and education became more valuable to pass on to children. The new islanders, and some of the old, decided that there was not enough room in Tazmily Village to accommodate everyone, and so they built a new, smaller settlement in the heart of Murasaki Forest. A new path between the villages opened, along with new off-trail houses for budding families.

The twins spotted Tazmily's first and only school building from afar. They had turned seventeen by the time the school had been built in the village's main square, but they chose not to participate as they were too far engaged in their own lives. They visited their childhood friends from time to time as they passed by, never growing envious of the fun they were having with children of the new islanders or by their selves. There wasn't much to learn from the school anyways—knowledge of woodworking, botany, fishing, weaving, leatherworking, smithing, and cooking were the main choices to be passed to the older children as their future lifestyles. The twins learned enough from their family and close friends, and didn't feel the need to spend their valuable time reeducating their selves about what they already knew.

As they entered the main square on horseback, they dismounted out of courtesy for the rest of the townsfolk traveling around on foot. They kindly greeted everyone they passed by, especially smiling at the ones they were familiar with since they were younger.

Finishing their salutations, they went their separate ways temporarily. Lucas first headed over to the west side of town to pass off the milk he had obtained from his cattle. Lucas handed half of the jugs of milk to his favorite pasteurizing customer: Caroline and her bakery, and was given bread and complementary pastries in return. Then, he headed back to the main square and handed the rest of the jugs to Thomas and his bazaar business. Once finished, he joined Claus in the east side of the village, where a couple of reputable carpenters initiated a business of processing finely shaped wood. They had helped the twins many times before, and were happy to assist them again when they asked for new barn roofing. The woodworkers obliged to their request, but reminded them it would take some time to finish. Lucas suggested they wander around the village to greet more of the familiar townsfolk, and Claus reluctantly agreed. As they left, they watched one of the workers begin sawing the first plank of lumber for them.

When the twins saw the carpenters at work, they were reminded of one of their best friends—who they both considered another brother to them. It was a career that boy once mentioned favoring, and it was something he wanted to refine his skills in before making the big choices of life. They each took their own moment to remember the playful times they had together until he had to move to another town for his own reasons. It had been a few years since they parted, and though it was saddening to go their separate ways, they never faltered in moving forward.

The twins passed by the Yado Inn, and decided to stop by to meet with the owners. Jackie and Tessie loudly welcomed them in, and gave the boys their part of occasional compliments of how mature and grown-up they had become in their eyes over the past years. Lucas and Claus were treated to a refreshing drink at the bar, the latter teasing the bartender to give them their first alcoholic beverage despite knowing it would be a failed effort.

"So, what brings you boys here today?" Jackie asked, giving each of them a glass of iced juice.

"We'd thought we'd stop by just to say hello," Lucas answered. "I just finished my morning delivery, so expect some more milk from Caroline or Thomas later."

"That's perfect," Jackie responded. "The kids just love draining this inn's supply of milk! There's barely any milk left in town for the rest of us."

"They're still young; they need it to grow," Lucas said, chuckling. "Don't worry, our cows made a lot this morning, and I still have my evening delivery."

"You're such a dependable young man," Jackie complimented. "Your parents must be so proud."

"It's hard work, but somebody's gotta help feed all of us, right?" Claus said, then sipped his juice. "Especially since we have to make more food because of the new islanders."

"And all of us are grateful that you've decided to stick around and support Tazmily, remember that," Jackie reminded.

Lucas nodded, and then finished his glass. "Thank you for the drinks. We've got to get going soon—our barn isn't going to fix itself."

Tessie overheard the blond's statement as she walked over. "What happened to your barn?"

"It has a hole in the roof," Lucas answered. "The storm from last week broke it."

"Oh, so sorry to hear." Jackie shook his head.

"It's all good, Claus will get it fixed," Lucas said.

"Yeah, _yay_ me," Claus playfully chipped in. He set down his glass, leaving it just slightly unfinished, and headed towards the exit with his brother. Just before they reached the door, a trio of children had come bursting in and ran towards the bar.

"More milk please!" they requested friskily.

"Ooh, you kids and your darn milk cravings!" Jackie playfully growled at them. "Why can't you wait until noon with the rest of the school kids?!"

The twins laughed at the scene as they watched Jackie reluctantly serve them, and then they exited the inn.

As soon as they were outside, the twins spotted the path that led to their old house, where their parents still resided. There was no sign of them down the path from afar, so they assumed they were still in their house for now.

"Should we go say hi?" Lucas suggested.

"They'll visit us on the weekend," Claus replied. He climbed onto his horse and gently nudged her forward. "We've got stuff to fix, remember?"

Lucas climbed onto his companion, and followed his brother's side. "It's not like the hole in the barn will take all day." He hoped his brother would change his mind before they turned the corner, but he didn't. Instead, they continued northeast and back onto the path to the woodworkers' home.

"It might if it's just me fixing it," Claus told. "I'm strong and all, but I'm not that quick and careful. I mean, you seen how I did our fences, right?"

Lucas smirked. "Yeah… good thing Dad helped us fix it before the animals broke through them."

"Yeah… so, I wanna get all the time I can have to finish it today in case I screw up," Claus told. "Besides, weren't you the one that said, ' _save free time till after everything important is done_ '?"

Lucas exhaled lightly. "Yeah, I did. Let's get going then."

Claus nodded. "Hopefully they're done by now."

The twins returned to the woodworkers' shop, and as they had hoped, the carpenters shaped out plenty pieces of planks for them. They were the right sizes to fix any standard barn, and that was just what they needed. Because it was a large load than what their horses could usually handle, they instead equipped Claus's horse with a borrowed cart, allowing them to safely and reliably transport the materials to their home.

"Good boy," Claus said, patting his companion's mane. "I'll feed you some extra later, okay big guy?"

 _"Fine, but I want extra carrots this time."_ While both of them heard the voice in their mind, Claus's horse muttered in response.

Lucas smiled at the two, and then he patted his own horse's back. "All right, we should be good to go."

The twins exited the gate of the woodworkers' property after thanking them for their hard work once more. Just as they left, Lucas looked to the path that continued northeastward, staring at the newly built road that led to the new islanders' village. He was told to not be concerned with the affairs of the new islanders as much as possible, but he couldn't help but worry if they were living peaceful lives just as everyone in Tazmily was. Then, he remembered how some people who lived in Tazmily for most of their lives chose to move out and settle alongside them, and knowing those people, they would have managed to make a mutually beneficial lifestyle together.

One of those people were one of his closest friends. He wondered how he was doing.

"What's up?" Claus sounded as he eased closer to his brother's side.

Lucas sighed lightly, hoping his curiosity wasn't too obvious enough to call out. "Nothing."

Lucas urged his horse to turn and start walking, but Claus looked into the same direction where his brother had been staring at. He assumed the blond was wondering about their lost brother and friend, missing him just as much as he did. While his eyes were capturing the far image of the road, he noticed a horse and a rider coming from the direction of the new village.

Anyone who had a horse caught considerable attention, considering only few people in Tazmily had owned them. However, it was the rider that captured the Claus's complete focus. He was traveling up the dirt road towards them. Claus watched him trail closer towards them, until his facial features became much more visible in their sight.

"Lucas, wait," Claus called out.

The blond turned himself around. "What?"

Both stayed silent, and with each passing second, Lucas grew slightly more frustrated, but curious. When he saw what Claus was staring at, his eyes widened upon capturing the same sight. The mounted rider coming from up the path closed in on them, but didn't seem like he noticed the twins as he was gloomily staring at his horse's neck.

Claus blurted out first, loud enough for the rider. "Fuel?!"

The mounted boy tugged on his ride on instinct, looking at the one who called his name. As soon as he saw him, as well as the twin brother standing next to him, he recognized them immediately. "Claus? And Lucas?!"

"Fuel?" Lucas questioned, just to be certain.

"Yeah, it's me!" The brunet pressed his horse's whip and quickly closed in on them. Then he tugged and stopped, dismounting at the same time the twins did. Claus and Lucas had their arms opened, and the other boy grabbed both into a large embrace.

"Oh my gosh, it is you two!" Fuel exclaimed.

"I can't believe it!" Lucas responded. "Is it really you?!"

Fuel chuckled loudly, "Yeah, it's me!"

As Claus gently pushed him off, he beamed at him. "Dude, how have you been?!"

"I'm great—just great," Fuel answered, brushing the top of his shirt. "Damn, it's been so long since I've seen you two."

"What're you doing here?" Lucas quickly asked.

"I…" Fuel paused. He looked to the ground beside him, almost wanting to turn around and see how far he had travelled. Then, he took a quick, deep breath. "I ran away from home."

"You what?" Claus questioned. "Why?"

Fuel forced a grin. "My dad. We had a big fight, and I was pretty much kicked out."

The twins saw the backpack hanging on Fuel's horse, assuming it had the brunet's belongings inside.

Lucas clutched the fabric of his chest. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be—nothing you could've done," Fuel assured.

"So what're you planning to do now?" Claus questioned.

"Honestly…?" Fuel sighed. "…No idea. I just wanted to get away from there. I thought maybe I could think of something going back to my old home in the Sunshine Forest."

"I think… a new family lives there, last we checked,"

Fuel left his mouth ajar. "Oh… well, that sucks."

Claus lightly grinned, and patted his friend's shoulder. "Why don't you come back with us for now?"

"Um… that okay with you?" Fuel looked back and forth between the twins.

Claus nodded. "Of course! We have a lot to catch up on."

"And, even though you were gone for a long time, you're still a brother to us," Lucas added. "We're here to help whenever you're in trouble."

Fuel smiled, feeling his heart warmed by their generosity. "Thanks guys."

Claus nodded, and cleared his throat. "Well, saddle up and follow us. It'll be quite a ride to get to our house."

" _Quite a ride_?" Fuel repeated.

"Oh, we have our own farm now," Lucas informed. "It's a little far in Sunshine, closer to the mountains."

"Wow, really?" Fuel questioned. "You guys actually have your own farm? Like with chickens and stuff?"

"Don't believe us?" Claus responded. "Come see for yourself."

The twins mounted on their horses, with Fuel following close behind. The three of them rode back together into Tazmily Village, cutting to the northwest exit of town and into the what was left of the forest grotto. As his horse instinctively followed the other two, Fuel took his time observing all the things that had changed since the last time he had been in the area, noting the new constructions placed on the forest grounds, the friendly families smiling at them along the way, and most of all, the refreshing, clean air warmed by the sun placed tenderly above. Perhaps the air only hit him hardest because he was too used to Murasaki Forest's murkier air. Either way, the refreshing nostalgia gradually excited him to see what was in store as he traveled further.

Fuel was guided deeper into the forest than he expected. He was stepping on the land that he remembered touching only a few times, long ago when he played in the outdoors with both Lucas and Claus. The clear acres he once knew was replaced with fenced borders, a fairly sized cottage, a decent amount of tilled land, and a large barn lumped in a open grass field with livestock scattered all over.

"Oh wow…" Fuel gasped. "This is your place?"

Lucas nodded. "Welcome to the _Westwood Farm_."

Claus split up with Fuel and his brother, importing the cart of wooden materials to the barn first. Lucas accompanied Fuel to the cottage and helped settle his horse into the nearby stable. Then, they entered the house together.

"Make yourself at home," Lucas told. He entered the kitchen first to put up the pastries and bed, leaving his friend to himself for a moment.

Fuel immediately entered the living room on his right, and it was dainty as he expected. There was only a couch, some weaving equipment, and a small bookshelf. He turned around to see the dining room filled with storage boxes, assuming there were raw ingredients in them. He failed to notice that Lucas had gone into a room until he popped his head out from one of them.

"Hey, over here," the blond called. Fuel walked towards him and entered the specified room. Entering, he saw a bed neatly tucked by the wall, and a small dresser just next to him.

"You can sleep here," Lucas told. "The room's not very big itself, but it should be enough…"

"I like it," Fuel said, grinning. He looked on top of the dresser, and he found a framed photo sitting on it. His hand reached out to it, and staring at it closer, he saw that it was a picture of the twins in an older age. In the background of the photo, there was a half-completed cottage of what seemed to be the same household he was standing in at the moment. Looking back at the twins, they looked slightly younger than they were in the present, so he assumed they must have been fifteen or sixteen in the picture.

"You guys did a lot in two years," Fuel commented.

The blond nodded, smiling with him. "Hard work and determination pays off."

Fuel set the picture back down, then his backpack onto the floor and sat on the bed, adjusting to the comfort of the mattress. It was plusher than the one he used to sleep in, and a nap felt like a plausible decision right now.

"Do you want to rest for a while?" Lucas questioned. Fuel blinked, thinking that the blond had read his mind and thought it was strange, but remembered the abilities his friend possessed.

Fuel shook his head. "I'll be fine."

Lucas cautiously sat down at the end of the bed, looking at his friend. "So, how long do you want to stay?"

"I don't know…" Fuel answered. "I don't want to impose on you guys for too long, but… it's not like I'll be welcomed back with my Dad."

"What did you two fight about?" Lucas questioned.

Fuel sighed. "A new islander woman. The one my dad was chasing when they came two years ago. He married her."

"Oh… and I take it you didn't like that?"

"Hell no," Fuel told. "My dad told me he would never replace my mom… and yet he went ahead and married some woman he barely knew. So… I fought with him about it."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Lucas said.

"Don't be, nothing you could've done. But after that, I ended up storming out of the house. I wanted to get away from him. I had nowhere else to go… except for Tazmily, I guess."

Lucas grinned, and reached out to his friend's shoulder. "I'm completely fine with you staying as long as you want," he told.

Fuel nervously looked back at the blond. "Is it really? I mean, I think I might have to go back eventually, but…"

"If you want to go back, that's fine with us. But if you want to live with us, Claus and I are more than happy to welcome you."

Fuel straightened his posture, staring blankly at him. "Really…?"

"Of course. Remember what we told each other when we were younger?"

Fuel smirked, and weakly chuckled at the memory. "I was like a third brother in your family."

"And you still are," Lucas told. "I'm sure Claus feels the same. I think he'll be happy to know if you decide to stay with us."

Fuel nodded. "Well, I'll stay for now. But I don't want to just freeload, it doesn't feel right to me."

"We can teach you how to do the farm work," Lucas told. "It's easy stuff—there's not too much to do every day."

"I think I'll get the hang of it pretty well."

Lucas looked out the window for a moment, and then he spotted his brother's horse and the cart sitting still. Up on the barn, Claus was climbing a ladder to the rooftop. "Oh, guess Claus is getting started," he mentioned.

"On what?" Fuel looked out the window as well.

"Our barn roof needs fixing," Lucas stated. "It got ruined last week."

"I should go help him," Fuel told. He stood up from the bed and began rolling his shoulders. "If Claus is still as clumsy as I remember, he'll hurt himself."

"That's fine, but do you want to change into something else?" Lucas asked. "You might get your clothes dirty."

"Well, it's not like I have anything like what you guys wear…"

"Oh, hold on!" Lucas stepped out of the room and into another one down the hall. He brought out a pair of overalls with a white shirt, and brought it back to display for his friend. "This is my old one, but I think you should still fit."

Fuel took a moment to compare the old attire with Lucas's current one—overalls in a lighter blue, and with a yellow shirt underneath. He grabbed the outfit from Lucas's grasp, and brought it closer to his body to see if it matched his figure. In the end, it did seem like he would fit, and thought it would still look nice on him.

"Well, if you don't mind…"

"Not at all," Lucas nodded. "Go ahead and put them on now."

Lucas stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall, hearing the sliding collisions of fabric and skin. Fuel slid into his new outfit smoothly and quickly, and then stepped out to show himself off. They both agreed it was a perfect fit for the brunet, and then they headed out to the barn.

The two arrived next to Claus's horse, and they called out to him at the top of the barn. He waved and then came back down to greet them.

"What's Fuel doing in your old clothes?" he asked his brother.

"He's going to help out," Lucas answered.

"Oh? Well I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem for my brothers," Fuel said, smiling at him.

"I'm going to go check on the animals," Lucas told. "You two call if you need anything."

"Got it."

Lucas retreated inside the barn and allowed the other two to get started. Fuel looked at the supplies they had, and then climbed the ladder to check on the damage. He stared at the mildly large hole and nodded, knowing that he alone was enough to complete the job as he was confident in his skills. However, he accepted Claus's help as he brought up the wood to him, making the task becoming quicker to finish. As he finished hammering down one plank of wood with precise positioning, Claus had another piece ready for him. They finished in a smaller amount of time than Claus expected, with many pieces of wood left over to keep as spare. When he looked at the job Fuel did, he thought he could have used all that he could to provide extra protective roofing to the barn.

"Why don't we just use the rest to hammer it down so a hole doesn't break again so easily?" Claus asked.

"It'll be unbalanced then," Fuel answered. "There'll be too much weight on this one spot, and over time, it's just going to collapse again."

"Oh… I guess you're right."

Fuel climbed down the ladder and entered the barn, with Claus following behind. He looked above to see where the hole used to be, and observed the foundation all over the structure.

"Just as I thought…" Fuel mumbled. "Your roofing could use more work."

"What's wrong with it?" Claus asked.

"The foundation's not strong enough," Fuel answered. "The gaps between them are too far apart from each other. You're lucky that your entire roof didn't break."

"Well, can we still fix it?"

Fuel nodded confidently. "Of course. Though, I'll need bars of wood, not planks. If you got any at the moment, I can get to work."

"Sure, we got spare outside."

The bars of lumber were set beside the other entrance of the barn as Claus instructed, and they hauled as many pieces as Fuel needed inside to the upper deck of the barn. Some were too small and others too big, but with Fuel's instruction, they combined or cut pieces together and formed perfect ones to act as additional foundation. Working together again, Claus held the pieces of timber in place while Fuel hammered them down securely. The process took longer than expected, but the result of their hard work ended with happy barn animals and a day's worth of a job well done.

By the time the two finished, it was nearing sundown. Lucas had just returned from another trip to town from delivering milk, and came back to reward the two with a few pasteurized containers of milk and some pastries, both obtained from his stop at the bakery. They enjoyed their sweet meal together, resting at the barn with the animals.

"You guys sure fixed up the place," Lucas commented, looking all around the interior.

"Thanks to Fuel, we don't have to worry about another big storm if it hits," Claus told. "He knows his stuff, more than both of us do."

"Well, we all know I used to help out with my dad a lot back in the day," Fuel explained. "So if there's anything else that needs fixing here, let me be the man for the job."

"So you're the farm's handyman now," Claus said, smirking.

Lucas nodded. "You know, we really could have used your help when we started building this farm from scratch."

"Yeah!" Claus agreed. "Would have made things so much easier. I kept breaking all the materials we had and things eventually fell apart because I didn't nail them right."

"Wish I could've been here," Fuel told. "This place is amazing. I can't believe you two built it all by yourselves."

"Well, not completely by ourselves," Lucas corrected. "Our mom and dad, and some of the villagers helped us. Even some kind new islanders living down the trail."

Claus smirked arrogantly. "Most of it though, we all planned out, and it worked out great."

"I'll say," Fuel nodded.

 _Oink-oink-oink!_

Next to them, a few piglets were squealing at the carrot-haired boy, eyeing the treat in Claus's hand. He stared at them for a moment and smiled.

"Aww, you guys want some too?" Claus blurted in a higher-pitched tone. He teared off some of his pastry and handed it towards their snouts. "Okay, just a piece."

"That's cute," Fuel commented, watching the pigs eat ravenously.

"They like me the best," Claus told. "Funny enough, pigs seem to have a thing for me."

Lucas smiled weakly, understanding the meaning in his brother's words. "Don't go there, bro."

"I know, it's just a strange thought." He petted one of the piglet's heads as it ate.

Fuel understood the tension that was just aroused by the twins. They were about to recall some unwanted memories from the past, if they hadn't already. To keep them away from the thoughts, he spoke out quickly. "Well, all that work today made me sweaty," Fuel told. "Why don't we go take a bath or something?"

"Let's do that," Lucas told. "You both reek like a skunk."

"You would be too if you helped," Claus teased.

"Hey, you know I had other important things to do," Lucas pouted back.

"Uh-huh, because everyone in Tazmily can't live without their milk," Fuel joined against the blond.

"Oh, shut up," Lucas retorted.

The three of them retreated to the cabin first, and they grabbed towels and clean clothes to take with them.

"So, where are we going?" Fuel asked. "The hot springs by Isaac's house?"

"Oh no, too far," Claus answered. "We actually have our own private hot spring."

" _Private_?"

"No one knows about it but our family," Lucas told. "But since you're a part of our family now, you get to see for yourself."

Fuel was momentarily warmed by the blond's comment. Then, he smiled at the thought of having his own personal hot spring to use at any time. "Cool!"

Fuel followed the brothers to a small trail behind their cabin and into a small seclusion of trees, just not too far from the house. The air grew warmer as they entered, and a view of the spring was eventually in clear view for the boys. The spring was more than big enough for the three of them, and it was all to their selves for the night.

The three began to remove their clothes, and set all their belongings on a nearby tree stump to lay out. Fuel was the first to jump in, laughing as he felt the spring sting his entire body with intense heat.

"Wow…!" Fuel gasped out. "This feels great!" He turned around to see the twins entering together.

"Ooh…" Lucas groaned out. "I'll never get tired of this." He walked forward a bit more and sat down.

Claus hummed in agreement, and then he sat down against the nearest wall, relaxing his pose. Fuel merely sat in his spot as well, being closer to the blond.

Lucas smiled at the brunet. "So, Fuel," he began, "how was life in Murasaki?"

"It's decent," he answered. "Not much different compared to Tazmily. I just didn't have a lot of friends there."

"Weren't there some kids our age though that you could've gotten to know?" Claus asked. "What, were they mean to you or something?"

"No, they're really nice, I just didn't talk with them a lot… oh, but get this! There's this one guy who's also a psychic, just like you two."

"Another psychic?" Lucas asked. "Who?"

"I don't know if you remember seeing him, but he's got black hair, a cap, and a neckerchief on him. His name's Ninten or something foreign like that. Oh, and some other girl he talked a lot with—Ana, I think? I saw them together using their powers to cut trees down. That was long ago when they moved here, but I haven't seen them do anything else since."

"I didn't know there were more psychics with us all this time…" Lucas told. "I thought it was just Claus, the Magypsies, and myself."

"Did you tell them about us?" Claus asked.

"Well, no, because I remember you guys told me you didn't want to use your powers anymore, so I didn't want to involve you without your permission."

"Well, now I'm curious about them," Lucas mentioned.

"So what?" Claus asked. "You gonna ask them to have lunch together and have a psychic fight?"

"Of course not, but if there's other people like us, it'd be nice to get to know them and make a friendship. I wonder why they chose to move here, though…"

"Well from what I understood from talking with them a few times," Fuel began, "they fought an alien who returned to attack them for the second time, and was finally defeated by Ninten and three of his friends, but their entire home land was destroyed in the process. A lot of people died too. That's why they decided to move to Nowhere, hearing that it was only one of the few places left untainted in the world."

"Weren't there only like fifty or so people when they arrived?" Claus asked. "Did one alien seriously wipe most of them out?"

"I find it hard to believe too, but that's the story they stuck with."

Lucas frowned in pity. "A lot of people died… I feel sorry for them."

"They're not entirely sad," Fuel mentioned. "They like it here."

"Still, I wish I could do something for them," Lucas told. "To have everything around you destroyed… we know how it feels like."

Claus shook his head. "All we can do is help them adjust to living here, nothing more. And that's only if we go say hi to them, which I don't really want to. Better to not get involved with them right? If they actually beat some alien from outer space, they're probably dangerous people we don't want to mess with."

"They're nice enough," Fuel mentioned. "It didn't feel like they knew about the Needles and wanted to reset the world for their selves. I made sure no one mentioned it to them, too. I feel like they're good people too. Even if they knew about the Needles, I don't think they would want to destroy the island in the process."

"That's a relief," Lucas told. "We don't need another world reset. Everyone's happy as is."

"Right?" Fuel agreed.

"Ugh, all this talk is making me remember how bad things were…" Claus groaned.

"Claus, I told you, no one blames you," Lucas assured. "None of that happened in this world we're in now, and everyone pretty much forgot about it their selves too."

"I think the adults forced their selves to erase their memories again anyways," Fuel said. "So there's not much to worry about."

Claus sighed. "Fine, okay. Let's just forget about those new islanders. We should be focused on ourselves now, right?"

"Right," Fuel nodded. "That said, I'm happy to be back with you guys. I missed you both."

"We missed you too," Lucas told.

Fuel smiled at the blond, and then he sneered at his twin brother. "By the way, Claus, how are you and Nana?"

Claus opened his eyes sharply. "What?"

"You know, you told me about your crush on her before I left," Fuel reminded. "How'd it go?"

Lucas raised his hand from the water. "Oh, get this: he got rejected—"

"Shut up!" Claus exclaimed, his face red from both heat and embarrassment.

"Seriously?!" Fuel responded. "Wow, that sucks."

"What sucks more is that Nana actually had a crush on me," Lucas added in.

"Wow, really? Did you go out with her then?"

Lucas shook his head. "I wasn't interested in her at the time. I was too focused on getting our farm together that I didn't really have time to consider girls. By the time the farm was finished, she already had a boyfriend."

"Wow, you missed out," Fuel told. "She's like, the prettiest girl in the village—"

"Can we not?" Claus pleaded. "She's another bad memory I don't want to remember."

"Still mad you got rejected?" Fuel teased.

"Shut up, dude."

"Claus said he'd swore he would never fall in love with another girl," Lucas told. "I still don't think that'll happen."

"Well, it's not like any girl around our age now are pretty enough, besides Nana," Claus retorted. "And no way I'm talking to a new islander girl."

"Claus, at this rate, you're not gonna get a wife," Fuel said.

"Please, I'm sure you haven't had a girl ask you out either," Claus told.

Fuel turned pink. "How would _you_ know? You haven't seen me in years—you don't know who I've met!"

"No girl would be desperate enough to date a plain guy like you," Claus teased.

" _Plain?!_ " Fuel repeated.

Lucas gasped silently, knowing how often his brother liked to tease Fuel about being "plain." Obviously, Fuel had no powers unlike they did, and Claus would jab at the fact from time to time, much to Fuel's jealousy and chagrin.

"Guys…" he mumbled weakly.

Fuel acquiesced to Lucas's worry, and sighed, not falling victim to Claus's taunt this time. "Fine, I'm _plain._ I'm just a plain, normal guy. But you know what? At least I'm bigger than you."

"You sure? Because I'm pretty sure I'm taller."

"No, not taller," Fuel emphasized. " _Bigger_."

Claus stared at the brunet's arrogant expression, taking a moment to realize what he meant. Then, his face widened. "What?! How would _you_ know?"

"I saw yours when you walked into the bath," Fuel answered, still smirking.

"Dude, I wasn't erect! _That's_ how you compare!"

"Wanna compare now, then?"

"Bring it on!"

"Guys…" Lucas mumbled again, but his soft voice didn't break through their enthusiasm.

Fuel retreated to the wall beside Claus and they both sat on the edge of the spring. They grabbed their own penises to arouse themselves, glaring fervently at each other. The cooler air stiffened their wet bodies, and just being so close to each other helped the stimulation. Lucas sighed as he silently watched the two have a trivial competition, but he was grateful that their friendship was still strong enough to continue having such immature fights comparable to the ones they had when they were adolescents.

With a glance at each other's penises, their erections twitched, one with confidence, and the other with surprise. Claus's face matched his body's feeling, and dropped his mouth when he eyed his friend's uncircumcised length at its max extent.

"No way, I must be tired," Claus said. "I could've sworn I've been bigger than you since we were little."

"Jealous?" Fuel tilted his head proudly.

Claus pouted, and then he turned to his brother. "Lucas, come see who's bigger!" he demanded.

"Fine," Lucas told. He stood up and walked over, sitting in between the two, lacking modesty due to their close friendship. He looked left and right—and for a moment, compared himself remembering how big he was—and judged the winner.

"Fuel's bigger," he concluded.

"Yes!"

"Damn it."

Lucas stared at Fuel's lower area once more, noticing the significant growth since he had last seen it. "You sure have grown a lot in more than just in size, though," he added.

"What do you mean?"

"You've got a lot more body hair than we do," Lucas stated. Once mentioned, Fuel took a moment to examine himself, from his legs to his crotch, and part of his stomach. While there was presence of just about the same amount of hair at the twin's crotches, their legs, and even their arms, lacked hair in plain sight.

"Yeah, well, puberty sucks," Fuel told. "It makes me look weird."

"I think it's pretty… manly," Lucas hesitated in his compliment, and it failed to cheer the brunet.

"Now that you mention it Lucas," Claus began, "Fuel sounds way deeper than we used to know him, right?"

"So has _your_ voice, dude!" Fuel exclaimed.

"I think mine's kind of the same…" Lucas uttered.

"…Puberty sucks," Claus repeated his friend's words. Lucas wasn't sure what was inconceivable about his own voice, but shrugged it off as Claus seemed to not care anymore.

"Well, I'm not shrinking anytime soon," Fuel mentioned, grabbing himself again.

"Me neither," Claus said. They smirked at each other, and without needing to read their minds, Lucas knew what they were going to initiate, and sighed lightly.

" _First to shoot loses_ , huh?" Lucas muttered casually.

"It's been a long time for me," Fuel mentioned. "Give me a handicap?"

"Heck no, you've got an equal chance just as me."

"Claus, haven't you built up endurance because we've been masturbating like almost every time we're here?" Lucas mentioned.

"You what?" Fuel questioned.

"He doesn't need to know that!" Claus exclaimed.

"So you've guys have been competing without me?" Fuel whined playfully. "I thought we were brothers!"

"Well it's not like you could have visited," Claus responded.

"It's a nice night, and we just got back together," Lucas expressed. "Why don't we just do it without competing, just for fun?"

"No way, I want to beat Claus and his endurance," Fuel told. "Let's see how long you can really last."

"Heh, better hope your endurance grew over time just like your penis did," Claus smirked.

Fuel nodded, and then he looked to the blond. "Want to join us?"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "Might as well. I'm already hard too."

The two boys at his side looked down at him, grinning and lightly chuckling at both that fact and how they were both bigger than the blond.

Each of the boys grabbed their lengths, and began stroking themselves. They're not even doing this because they were horny, but rather because they were _bored_. For Fuel, it was additionally painful considering how long it had been since he given his body some release. The length of time that passed since his last shared time with the twins doesn't stop his mind from remembering that exact moment. It was the last time he knew he would share a moment like he had now with them, and so he took as much of a vivid picture memory as much as possible to remember them by. Conveniently, it was when they were sitting in a circle together, and he captured images of their blurred, pleasured faces, earnest hand movements, and the figures of their lower exteriors.

Comparing then to now, Fuel glanced over at the twins again when they were focused on staring straight ahead. He wasn't sure if he should feel shameful or disgusted for using his best friends as stimulation for himself, though he remembered he should have been restricting himself if it was to win their little competition. However, he already trapped himself into yearning for a release, regardless of whether he won or not. They would have more competitions in the future, he was sure of this. One loss wasn't too big of a deal—the outcome was surely worth it.

Fuel leans his body backward, jerking his length with unrestricted speed. When Lucas notices that the brunet closed his eyes, he took the time to observe the changes in Fuel's penis since the last time he saw it, and comparing it to the first few times as well. Fuel's extra layer of skin made it seem it was thick in girth, and combined with how long it was now and comparing it to his own, it seemed like a monster to the blond. He had an urge to touch it out of complete curiosity—to satiate his question of how an uncircumcised penis felt like at that size—but he wasn't sure if the brunet was comfortable with the idea and didn't want to make the effort to read his mind to be sure. Still, just the sight, and capturing a picture to put in his memory, and imagining the _possibility_ of touching it, helped push him close with every stroke to himself.

Claus was in his own world—his movements gradually growing faster as his muscles pulled. His testicles unconsciously grow heavy and tight as his fingers create friction on himself. He closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts, confident in his fortitude to win their trivial match. Though he knew even if he won, it wasn't really something to be proud of in the long run. All he wanted was a release to reward his tense body from all the physical work he had done today, and if it gave him a small ego boost for the night, he considered it a bonus. Yet, as much as he tried to block out the noises his two brothers were creating, he took a moment of solace to enjoy the fact that they were openly enjoying the moment together as much as he was.

None of the three said a word throughout. Only Lucas and Fuel managed to let out a few accidental grunts and gasps slip out, their throats tightening with each sound out of shame. But they all hear each other, and it was becoming obvious when the two of them were close to their climaxes.

"Oh shit…!" Fuel finally cursed out, signaling to the other two that he was about to be the loser. However, his coarse groan rung well in the twins' ears, and especially impacted the blond. The sound of pleasure brought a small shock to him, enough to push him to the end as well.

"Ah—!" Lucas gasped out, and at the same time Fuel had groaned, they both sighed out a heavy orgasm. Their spare hands intertwined with each other to Claus's ignorance and in the brief moment they were engrossed with their climax, and neither let go of each other until they finished.

Both looked down at the stream of semen leaking from the tips of their penises and the amounts that was quickly erased by the spring's purifying waters. They panted heavily, still holding onto each other for another moment until their eyes met, looked down at their hands, and they embarrassingly pulled away with pinked cheeks. Before they could indulge in question on their moment together, Claus had sighed heavily as well, and they watched his release fly into the spring water as well.

Each of them recovered quickly, with Claus smiling as soon as he sensed the tension in everyone completely dissipated. He smirked at the two—his signature, conceited smile that always showed up whenever he won one of these competitions. Fuel and Lucas played along and gave Claus his boost in ego, but neither of them really cared that they lost. They cherished the fact that they were enjoying a moment like this together again.

 **~W~W~W~**

The three of them returned to the cottage, fully clean and refreshed, both body and soul. Claus went ahead and turned in for the night, completely worn out from all the effort he made his body put out today. Lucas made sure Fuel had everything he needed for the night and stayed with him as long as possible, talking about how they appreciated each other's friendship and how they would have so much more fun living together from then on.

As they talked, Fuel nonchalantly brought up the question about their hand holding back at the hot spring, and Lucas quickly shrugged it off as a gesture of close friendship, remembering when they used to hold hands together when they were younger. He thought it was a great moment of cherishing between them, and Fuel agreed without question. From then on, the mood settled calmly as night continued to roll in, and they agreed to head to sleep.

As Lucas sat in his bed, he looked out the window past the barn, and saw the endless ocean only viewable with the full moon's light. The darkened waters always seemed to ease his mind before bedtime. He imagined himself wandering about the waters on a ship that could never sink, pondering what kind of ruined land was out there in the world. He wondered if that land was not that far of a sail, or if they were living in a very secluded area in a big world. Sometimes, rather than being a farmer, he wished he was still the adventurer he used to be and hoped one day, he could get to see the ruined lands out in the world and uses his reserved powers to help people… but it was only a hopeless ambition—he knew even with the world reset, Nowhere Islands was still the only pure place, and that it was better to stay put. It wasn't like his companions would agree to that dream, anyways.

Instead… he hoped that one day, more new islanders will arrive, seeking a new home from a destroyed land. Maybe then—rather than choosing to not be involved like last time—he'll be ready to help welcome them.


	4. The Time Travelers

**Disclaimer:** This chapter contains Earthbound/Mother 2 and Mother 3 major spoilers. If you do not wish to be spoiled by major plot events that occur in the game, do not continue reading.

 **~W~W~W~**

Chapter 4: The Time Travelers

A week passed since the Westwood Farm became under the command of three independent men. Fuel moved in with the twins of Tazmily not too long ago, but he had become easily associated with daily farm life.

At the next break of dawn, Fuel opened his eyes, looking forward to another laborious day of farm work. He quickly washed his face and put on his work overalls, heading out to the fields before his brothers.

Claus woke up just a little bit after Fuel and joined him soon after. He saw Fuel getting the water supply ready to irrigate and went to his side to help out.

Lucas woke up at about the same time, but tended to his daily business with the farm animals. He did a head count, fed them, groomed them, and retrieved whatever products he could from them. Finishing with the cows, he headed out to the village to deliver the daily milk to Tazmily's bakery and bar.

Nearing noon, the boys were all fed with brunch prepared by the twins, and they went on their day however they decided to. There was not much left to do as all of the inconvenient weekly tasks had been taken care of beforehand when the twins showed Fuel how to perform them earlier in the week. Claus only needed another day or two before his next batch of crops were ready to sell and store with the village, so he had free time to spend just like the other two.

"I think I'll go visit Mom and Dad," Lucas mentioned as he put on the saddle to his horse. "Wanna come with?"

Claus jumped onto his companion and patted his mane, walking out of the stables. "Nah, Fuel and I are gonna hang out at the bar."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Trying to get your hands on liquor again?"

" _Someday_ , I'm going to get a shot glass," Claus told.

"Yeah—after three more years. What're you really going there for?"

"Just have a cold drink to cool off," Claus said. "Maybe we'll play with some pool table too."

"Hopefully some of the other guys and gals we know are there too," Fuel wondered out loud.

Lucas looked up at the clear blue sky. "It's about the right hangout time for the adults—it's most likely."

The three of them saddled up and slowly rode out of their fenced acre. They took their first step into the Sunshine Forest, heading in the direction of the village.

However, just a few seconds after, the twins abruptly stopped their horses. Fuel heard the lack of his companions' footsteps and looked back to see they were looking at each other.

"Guys?" he called out.

"Shh," Claus uttered, tapping a finger to his forehead.

" _Someone, please, answer us…!_ "

"You hear that?" Lucas questioned, looking at his brother. Claus nodded at him affirmingly.

"Hear what?" Fuel responded.

" _Someone, anyone… we're sailing towards your islands… but we need immediate help!"_

"Sailing towards…?" Lucas repeated.

" _Lucas, can you hear me_?"

The blond jumped in his seat when he heard a familiar voice. " _Kumatora_?" he responded.

" _I'm at the top of the castle right now_ ," she told. _"I see a boat coming to the island."_

" _Did you hear the message too?"_ Lucas asked.

" _I did. Whoever it was, they used some powerful long-distance telepathy. Which means a psychic is out there calling for us."_

" _We've gotta help them then!"_

 _"I'll tell Leder and have him meet you at the beach. I'll leave it to you to get Thomas."_

Their telepathic communication ended, and Lucas relayed the information to his brothers. They agreed to make a rush to the town and meet with the town's fireman.

 **~W~W~W~**

The trio arrived at Thomas's Bazaar and conveyed to the owner the situation. When he heard that there was a lost boat sailing towards the island, he put on his fireman's hat and ran to grab his trusty crew—a few men of the village who he knew and would call upon in an emergency. Lucas, Claus, and Fuel agreed to then hurry to the beach in the westernmost part of the town.

Thomas and his men assembled near the far plateau of the area where a dock was built in the scenario that another incident like this were to occur. Leder was already there, looking out west where he spotted the ship. Lucas, Claus, and Fuel soon arrived as well, looking out the horizon with the towering man. They could see something small in the distance, and it was slowly growing in size as it made its way towards them.

"It is definitely a boat," Leder announced. "I cannot see how many people yet."

"That's fine, just wave the flag!" Thomas's crew retrieved a white flag from the nearby supply shack and cooperated in handing it to Leder. The towering man grabbed the flag from its pole and raised it high, waving it widely at the height of his head.

Lucas tried to help out as well, considering that the situation involved psychics. He pressed two fingers to his head and was about to send a telepathic message, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Claus's disapproved expression.

"You sure you want to help more people from the outside world?" Claus asked.

"Well we can't just leave them out there!" Lucas argued.

"We got lucky with the last group of new islanders," Claus began. "But this one has a psychic whose powers reached us from miles away. We can barely handle a single mile. They're more powerful than us. What if we have to fight them?"

"Claus, you're being unreasonable!" Lucas blurted. "What kind of people ask for our help and then want to fight us?"

"Guys…" Fuel tried to intervene.

Lucas glanced at the brun, and took a quick, deep breath. "Look, when they land, I'll read their minds and look into their memories as secretly as I can. But I really don't think they're bad."

"How can you tell?" Claus questioned.

Lucas clutched his chest. "That voice we both heard. Didn't you listen well enough? It was a girl's voice—really gentle and kind… I didn't sense any evil from her. Did you?"

"Well, no, but…"

Lucas placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Claus, I know you're just trying to look out for me and you're trying to stop another incident like… _long ago_. But I can handle myself, and if worst comes to worst, I'll take care of it. It's also my job to keep you safe too, remember? I made a promise to protect you."

Claus recalled to his earlier years—back when the world had reset, and the islands were still damaged. He sat alone with Lucas in their grandfather's cabin, where they cherished a reunion after the tragic events from long ago. He remembered the words Lucas swore to him.

Claus sighed with disappointment, seeing that he couldn't deny his brother's concern. "Okay, fine."

Lucas nodded, and then turned to the ocean. He tried to send out a telepathic message in a straight line, maximizing the distance he could reach.

" _Hello?"_ was what Lucas only sent at first, hoping that simplicity was enough. As long as they answered him, the distance would become irrelevant, and they could talk as if face-to-face. As Leder continued waving the flag, Lucas managed to reach out to them.

 _"Hello?!"_ Lucas cried out again.

 _"Are you… on the island?"_ he heard the girl's voice again.

 _"Yes!"_ Lucas quickly answered. " _Drive your ship towards the white flag. We'll help you!"_

 _"I… I see it! We're coming!"_

Lucas sighed with relief, and look to Thomas and Leder. "They see us, they're coming our way."

"Perfect!" Thomas turned to his crew. "Men! Prepare to receive anchor!" They saluted to him and maintained their position, waiting for the boat to arrive before they could do anything.

"They're just standing there…" Fuel whispered.

"It's so they feel important," Claus answered lowly. "Let them be and just wait."

 **~W~W~W~**

The boat arrived in due time, and Thomas's men helped the two shipmen on board lower their ramp onto the dock securely. Immediately after the shipmen descended and met with Thomas, a couple of ladies emerged from the ship and hurried down the plank, followed by a few young men about the same age as them.

"We need help, please!"

A motherly blonde woman promptly approached them, followed by the particular group of boys and another girl. There was a fallen boy carried on one of the other boy's back, whose skin was spotted with black and painful scarlet. His face was buried under his cap, but it was easy to tell he had a grim expression written all over him.

"What's happened to this young man?" Thomas questioned.

"My son is suffering from a very rare sickness," said the leading blonde woman. "We heard this island has hot springs with a healing power to them. Is there any way you can lead us to one?"

" _A rare sickness_ …?" Lucas thought. Intrigued to better understand the ailed male's situation, he subtly tried to read his mind and memories on how he had been suffering. His eyes widened at the discovery of his identity, as well as two of his friends: a blonde red-bowed lady, and a squinty-eyed male in a white gi, whom he noticed looked at him. When their eyes met, they immediately sensed each other's psychic energies.

"We do have hot springs… but they aren't exactly all-cures. You're sure it is what he needs?" Thomas asked.

Lucas placed his hand on Thomas's shoulder. "It'll be all right," he told. "I can take them to one."

Thomas wasn't too taken aback by the boy's confidence, as he knew him as often honest and dependable. "Very well, I leave them in your hands."

"I will stay here with the ship," Leder stated.

Thomas and Lucas nodded in agreement, then the latter stepped towards the group. "If you'll follow me, I'll get you to a hot spring."

"Oh, thank you so much!" gasped the mother of the ailed boy.

"The closest one is by Isaac's old house," Claus told. "We can take him there."

"It's sort of a long walk," Lucas told the foreign-looking male, who carried his friend on his back. "Will you be okay?"

"I will be fine, I am strong." He smiled with confidence. "Please lead the way as fast as you can."

Lucas mounted his horse and led the group of travelers through the village, maintaining a reliable pace for them. Claus and Fuel followed behind them on their mounts as well, acting as guards by keeping an eye on them. Along the way, word of new outside world visitors had already reached every ear in the village, and so there were many peeking out on the streets, or from the windows of their homes. Even the children from the school building opted to offer staring eyes in the middle of their playtime, watching a large group of adults pass by them.

They all neared the entrance to the Sunshine Forest, rushing their way to the old lumberjack's home. The hot springs were still steaming with refreshing curative energies even after so long. The area was currently unoccupied, and so Lucas took the opportunity to offer it for the weary travelers.

However, they immediately looked to their fallen friend, and almost scrambled to get him into the springs. The male carrying his friend hastened over to the edge of the spring and was assisted by Lucas and one other boy to lower him down. They held his shoulders to keep him sitting upright and waited for the springs to take effect on him.

Momentarily after sitting in the spring, the black spots on his body sizzled away, and the scarlet burns faded into his natural colors. As the last of his illness dissipated, his eyes began to open slowly as if waking up after so long. He raised his body out of the springs and turned to everyone looking at him, who looked so relieved with his condition.

"Oh, Ness!" exclaimed the boy's mother, crouching down and reaching for him.

"Big brother!" One of the smaller girls from the group hurried over and went to her mother's side. "You're back!"

"What… happened to me?" Ness spoke, looking at himself. "And… why am I in a hot spring?"

"There's a lot to explain, but let's get you out of there first." His mother looked at Thomas and his men. "Could we get some towels for him, please? Some food as well?"

"Yes!" Thomas saluted. He forwarded the action to a couple of his men and they rushed away.

"We can have them rest in Isaac's house for now," Lucas suggested. "Do you still have the key, Thomas?"

"Yes, I do." Thomas directed his attention to the foreign group. "Please, bring him inside. There should still be a bed for him to lay on."

With the help of his friends again, Ness was pulled out of the hot spring and helped to the house. It lacked dust due to it being cleaned every now and then, but there were only a few furniture pieces left within the house. Ness was brought towards the back of the cabin, and just in time, Thomas's men fetched back a few towels for him to dry off with, as well as some fresh baked bread to eat. Lucas personally brought them to the boy's mother, who helped clean him off and set the bread aside to feed him after.

Only Ness and his family remained inside the house as Lucas closed the door behind him. He sensed the family was friendly enough, and thought it was time to get a read on his companions who waited outside. While Claus and Fuel kept their guard up and watched him, the blond approached the circle whole-heartedly, and cleared his throat.

"I'm glad your friend is doing alright," he began.

"it's all thanks to you, chum," said a male with glasses.

"Yes, we are very grateful to you," said the foreign-looking male. "Had we been too late, we may have lost him forever."

Lucas nodded at them, and then looked to the bowed blonde smiling at him. Recalling his encounter from earlier, he recognized the psychic energy originating from the very same person. "I suppose you're the one that called out to us?" he remarked at her.

"I did," she answered. She bowed her head softly. "Thank you for showing us the way here."

"It's no problem."

The girl lifted her head and smiled again. "I'm Paula," she announced to him. She waved her hand to her friends beside her. "This is Jeff and Poo." She looked to the cabin door. "You've met our friend Ness, his sister Tracy, and their mom inside."

"I'm Lucas," the blond replied. "It's nice to meet you all." Lucas turned behind him and saw that his two brothers were approaching. He waited for them to reach his side before introducing them. "This is my twin brother, Claus. And that's my other brother, Fuel. And… that's Thomas, our village's chief."

Everyone said their salutations to each other, although Claus was obviously reluctant in trying to exchange friendly words despite being gawked in awe by the fact he was a twin. He stepped back and chose to only listen to the conversation, stepping in only when he felt like it.

"So, what happened to your friend Ness?" Lucas asked. "I've never seen something like that happen to anyone."

"It's a long story," Paula answered. "I wouldn't mind sharing it… but we have a few companions of ours who chose to remain on the ship. I don't mean to suddenly impose… but we'd like to have everyone rest first if that's all right."

"I'm sure it was quite the journey to get here was quite long," Thomas told. "We can go get the rest of your friends, and then we can head to the Yado Inn in the village. You can get some food and rest for everyone."

"Sounds perfect," Poo commented.

Thomas nodded and looked to Lucas. "I'll go ahead and get to the inn first and let them know. Lucas, may I leave it to you to show them the way?"

Lucas nodded, "Of course."

Paula nodded to her companions. "Jeff, Poo—you two should head back and go get the others. We can meet up at the Inn then."

As Thomas and his men left the area, Lucas turned to his two brothers. "Claus, Fuel, do you think you can give both of them a quick ride back?"

"Sure!" Fuel answered.

"I guess," Claus shrugged.

"We're… going on horses?" Jeff questioned, cautiously walking forward.

"Got a problem with them?" Claus asked back.

"No, it's just… I've never rode one. I'm a little scared…"

"Ride with Fuel then," Claus told. "His horse is more gentle."

Fuel grinned at the spectacled male, waving him over to his horse and helped guide him on. "Here, just step on here and…"

Claus eyed the other male named Poo, who smirked confidently. "Are you fine with horses?" he asked just to be sure.

"Not to worry!" Poo told. "I am actually quite eager to ride on my first horse! I am sure it would be thrilling to feel the wind on my face."

"We're not going to go _that_ fast," Claus mentioned, chuckling. "Well, I suppose we could some of the way, as long as we don't run into someone. Here, get on."

The two foreigners settled onto their riders' backs. Claus left first with a bursting dash, with Fuel following behind just a bit slower for his troubled companion.

Lucas turned to Paula, tilting his head towards the cabin. He assumed the girl wanted to check up on her friend again. "Would you like to update them before we go to the village?" he suggested.

"Good idea." She knocked on the door, and then opened it slowly. The two stepped inside and they both saw that Ness was knocked out on the bed. Lucas looked around and saw that the boy's wet clothes were hung to dry over a wood rod in sunlight by the window. He also saw that his sister was sitting in a chair next to the bed, watching over her brother acutely.

Their mother stood up from her chair, noticing the two enter the cabin. "He's resting," she told. "That curse took quite the toll on him… but I'm glad he's able to sleep peacefully right now."

"Curse?" Lucas repeated.

Before Lucas could question it, Paula spoke out to them. "We're getting everyone from the ship into an inn at the village," she told. "I thought it'd be best to let you know."

"We would be glad to meet you there as soon as Ness wakes up." The mother glanced at Lucas, and smiled at him. "Young man, may I have your name?"

"I'm Lucas," he answered.

"Lucas…" she repeated. "Lucas, thank you for helping my son."

The blond male nodded satisfyingly. "You're welcome."

"I'm sure my son would want to tell you how grateful he is to you too, once he wakes up. And… you seem to be about the same age as him. Perhaps you can be friends as well."

"I'm looking forward to that," Lucas replied.

The mother nodded with joy, and then looked to Paula, calling her name. "Have you learned about who we should talk to about living here per chance? And… have you spoken to that… _thing_ again yet?"

"No, not yet," Paula answered. "And I believe that man from earlier—Thomas—is the village chief. You could talk to him, but I'll try to handle it at the inn."

"All right, I appreciate it."

Lucas and Paula turned around and left the cabin. As Paula walked over to Lucas's horse, who neighed weakly as a sign of welcome, the male blond stared at her curiously.

"Paula…" he began. "…you're not travelers? You plan to live here?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to have you think we were mere travelers…" she spoke. "I'm sorry. Is living here going to be a problem?"

"That depends," Lucas told. "There's a lot of questions to be answered first before we can decide that so easily."

"I understand," Paula told. "If you would give me the chance to tell our story at the inn, then perhaps most of those questions will be answered."

"Fine by me. Shall we?" Lucas mounted onto his horse with ease, and then looked at Paula. He noticed she seemed concerned staring at the saddle, and generously extended his hand to her. She grabbed it and held tight, and as they pulled each other up, she kicked her leg over and landed promptly behind the boy, holding onto his waist.

"Don't be afraid to hold on tight," Lucas mentioned. He steered his horse forward and they marched forward with moderate speed.

 **~W~W~W~**

At the Yado Inn, Lucas met with Thomas and the innkeepers. Preparations had been quickly made to accommodate multiple families, though the exact number of people to be expected wasn't certain until Paula cleared it for them. They waited for the ship group to arrive, and soon enough, only about one family and some entered through the inn doors alongside Claus, Fuel, Jeff, and Poo. Lucas jumped out of his seat when he recognized one of the people.

"Dr. Andonuts?!" he exclaimed.

"Hm?" He intensely stared at the blond who called his name, and tried to recognize his face. Though there was something familiar about him at first sight, he could not exactly recall a name. "Have we met before?" he asked.

"I'm Lucas," he answered. "Remember me? You… uh…" Lucas wanted to explain how he was the scientist for Porky before the reset, but he hoped that his name was sufficient so as to not unnecessarily speak of the past events in front of too many people. It was curious enough that the doctor was present with the traveling group.

"Lucas…? Lucas… I did know a Lucas from long ago…. ah! Are you that very same boy who defeated Porky?"

"Yes, that's me! What're you doing here? I thought with the world reset, you should've gone back to your time."

"I did. And, I'm here because I'm Jeff's father." He patted his son's shoulder.

"But… this is strange…" Lucas mumbled. "If you went back to your original time, but you're here again… and yet you traveled from the ocean…"

"Wait, Lucas…" Paula spoke out. "What does Dr. Andonuts mean when he said _you_ _defeated Porky_?" Paula inquired.

Lucas wasn't sure what to say, as his mind was still trying to logically answer his previous question. "I, well…"

"Ohoho!" Dr. Andonuts laughed. "What a turn of events! I'm sure you both have questions for each other… but alas, it has been quite tiring to get here. May I ask that we take a moment to get some food and rest first? I am quite famished myself."

"Yes, of course," Lucas answered.

Paula asked Thomas to have her mother and father—the only other family present—to be showed to their room to rest after a weary journey. One other male unfamiliar to Lucas—was seen hugging Jeff and blatantly refused to leave his side for the moment. Claus and Fuel sat at the bar to have their promised icy drink to cool off, watching everyone go their own ways. Poo sat at the same table with the two blonds, closer to Paula, and waited patiently.

Food arrived for each of the guests staying at the inn, passed out by the innkeepers and their helpers. Lucas joined his brothers at the bar for a drink, letting the new travelers group together and talk as they happily filled their stomachs. There wasn't too much chatter between them, but Lucas respected their privacy for now and chose not to intently listen in on them and let them be until it was time. He sipped his cold milk, turning his head when he heard the inn doors open again.

Lucas's eyes widened upon seeing two of his companions. "Kumatora? And Duster?!"

"Hey there!" Kumatora exclaimed.

"Good to see you, kiddo," Duster waved. "We came after hearing the news. Are these the ones?"

"Yes, they are," Lucas answered.

"Oh… my gosh! Is that… Dr. Andonuts?!" Kumatora exclaimed, pointing at him.

Lucas nodded. "It is."

"Does everyone on this island know you, dad?" Jeff asked.

"So it seems!" Dr. Andonuts heartily answered.

Lucas explained the travelers' situation to Kumatora and Duster, and they waited along with him. They took the time to catch up on their lives—how Lucas's and Claus's farm was successful, how Kumatora's castle life was fascinating at times but mostly dull, and how Duster spent his days in relaxing peace. Fuel even took some time to hear stories about their adventure, smiling giddily as he learned about some fun times Lucas shared with them.

The travelers had their moment of rest, and it was finally time to talk. Lucas, courageously acting as a leader again, sat across from Paula and Poo, while others remained in nearby tables.

"So let's hear it," Lucas began. "Let's start with… why have you decided to come to Nowhere Islands?"

Paula nodded, and voiced her friend's story from the beginning.

 **~W~W~W~**

Ness, a boy who hailed from the town of Onett, chose to resume a normal life after his adventure of saving the world. He bid farewell to his traveling companions and returned home to live the life of a thirteen-year-old boy.

It was known that he was the hero who defeated Giygas—the manifestation of worldly evil—and was often hailed for his extraordinary powers. However, he never used such facts to his advantage, nor did he misuse his powers after his journey. He only wanted to be treated like normal, but that did not happen for a while.

Eventually, the news about the world saviors dialed down with fresher world rumors about celebrities, and the lack of any hysterical folks or cults due to the absence of evil within the world. It wasn't only Ness who was able to lead a relaxing life afterwards without Giygas inciting malicious acts around the world. He was able to live normal—go to school, make new friends, hang out with his traveling companions from time to time, and play recreational activities. It was a peaceful and enjoyable life for the next five years.

However, Ness faced a bizarre morning after the day of his eighteenth year. The boy dreamed a horrifying dream, filled with whispers of dread and images of death. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he swore he had seen the most terrifying face in existence, and only one being matched such a description. Two instances of a familiar foe—one after the other—must have been a coincidence. But he knew it was something to fear as soon as he stepped out the door… and instantly collapsed.

Ness failed to awaken by himself. Several hours passed and eventually turned into days. Only then did it become evident that what ailed Ness was nothing normal. His most trusted friends rushed to his side, attempting to figure out what affected him.

Paula was the first to suggest diving into his mind, disregarding proper etiquette in order to save a friend. What she faced, however, was something that horrified her as well. Within Ness's mind was his unconscious body, floating with a dreadful aura surrounding him. As Paula approached, she recognized the feelings she once felt at the end of her adventure in the past.

 _That thing_ returned—only, she sensed it was more violent than ever. It was as if it wanted Ness to suffer and cursed him with a powerful vengeance.

At that moment when Giygas's remnants was discovered by Paula, it took pressing action and expelled her from the boy's mind. Then, as Paula explained the situation, something caused Ness's comatose body to tremble with agony. For a moment, the spirit of evil flashed before everyone's eyes, and then seeped into Ness's body. That was when his body began to deteriorate into black and scarlet—marks of pain—the deathly colors of pure malice.

 **~W~W~W~**

Paula's face fell grim as she continued to explain her friend's tragedy. "Dr. Andonuts concluded that a piece of Giygas must have made its way into Ness, and stayed dormant to gather his energy. When there was enough, he took over Ness and began damaging him physically and mentally. It was like a fierce curse… that evil alien hated Ness so much that it wanted him to suffer."

"How horrible…" Kumatora commented.

Lucas nodded in agreement and understanding. "So you came to the islands, knowing that the hot springs would cure Ness's curse. But… how did you know that? You couldn't have just known it was what he needed."

"You're right, we didn't know at first," Paula told. "We didn't even know this place existed… until we met _something_."

"Something?"

Paula shook her head. "It was like some kind of spirit. We… well, Jeff, Poo, and I met it in our dreams. We don't know why us… perhaps it was because we're Ness's most trusted friends. But that spirit told us about this island, and how its hot springs could banish Giygas's curse. We didn't know if it would have worked with certainty, but we tried everything to bring Ness back. This was our last hope… and we are grateful to have believed in it."

"A spirit?" Lucas repeated.

"I don't get it…" Fuel voiced. "Is something so good about the islands' hot springs that it can banish an evil alien's curse so easily?"

Kumatora raised a finger. "I heard from the Magypsies that it's because of the Dark Dragon's power. It created the islands, so it's full of the dragon's energy. That would include the hot springs, I suppose… maybe it was powerful enough to even heal your friend's curse."

"I see…" Paula nodded. "So a dragon's power is influencing these lands?"

"It's most likely," Lucas answered.

Paula turned to one of her friends. "Jeff, didn't you say you saw something like a lizard in your dream?"

Jeff nodded. "Yes, but now that you mention _dragon_ … perhaps it was too large to have been a mere lizard. It could have been a dragon instead."

"So a spirit of a dragon helped us save Ness?" Paula inquired. "Could it have been your island's dragon?"

"That… I'm not so sure of," Lucas answered. "I mean… it can't be possible… can it?" The blond looked over at Dr. Andonuts, and was reminded of the time period differences. "How did you guys get here?"

"The spirit told us that this place lied in the future," Paula answered. "We had Dr. Andonuts' help to get here."

"Ah yes, my _Phase Distorter X_ ," Dr. Andonuts explained. "It's actually part of the boat that we used to get here."

"So you guys are all from the past," Duster stated. "Is that even okay?"

"There's nothing wrong with it," Dr. Andonuts told. "We aren't here to disrupt the future, nor cause chaos. Only to save a young man."

"Truth be told, we were a little scared to have come here at first," Jeff mentioned. "My dad's previous time traveling machines weren't exactly perfect… but he managed to create one that wouldn't destroy our bodies."

"Oh... well, it worked out fortunately, right?" Lucas commented. "You're all here safe and sound, and we helped your friend."

"And he's all recovered now, right?" Claus questioned. "It's back to the past with you guys."

"Claus!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Lucas, they got what they came for, and moreover, we can't let the villagers find out about the technology they have. It's what brought this world to an end before, remember?"

Paula sighed. "As much as we would like to not impose any further than we have to… there is something that requires us to stay."

"What would that be?" Lucas urged.

"Giygas's curse is powerful," Paula explained. "It's evil aura was stronger than we faced him the first time. The spirit itself told us that while the springs could help Ness, there is a chance the curse could just be weakened, and not erased completely. If left alone for too long, it could return and hurt Ness again. So, we all agreed it would be wise to live here just for a bit… at least until the curse is gone."

"Why not just let Ness stay?" Claus asked. "It's only him that matters."

"If Ness does become completely cured, he can't travel back to our time on his own… at least not without his family. He needs Dr. Andonuts' time machine. And we're his friends—we want to stay with him and be sure that he's going to be fine."

"That is… quite a story," Lucas remarked.

"I suppose it is hard to believe…" Poo agreed.

Lucas shook his head. "No, I believe you."

"Just like that?" Claus probed.

"I don't sense any evil will from anyone here. I can tell all of your feelings about Ness are genuine. You want to make sure he's back to normal before anything."

"That's right," Paula agreed. "So, would you let us stay?"

"Thomas?" Lucas looked to the older man, who had been understandingly silent while listening to the entire story.

"Well, we've run out of vacant housings in Tazmily… and we can't let you use the inn rooms forever," Thomas expressed.

"We can build our own houses, can we?" Poo asked. "I saw a lot of log cabins on the way here. I would be eager to make new houses for all of us if I were given the right materials."

"It's not just something you can do on your own, and it won't be done so quickly. Besides that… we really need to keep most of our trees in Sunshine Forest, lest we turn it into something less than a forest."

"Then what can we do?" Lucas asked.

"There's nothing that we _can_ do," Thomas answered. "Isaac's home was the only one empty, and it sounds like it is better for Ness's family to have it because of the hot springs."

"Kumatora, what about your castle?" Lucas asked.

"No can do," Kumatora answered. "As much as I'd like to help, they'd just be kicked out by the Magypsies."

"So they're just going to live in tents for the rest of their time here?" Duster articulated.

"Not exactly the best thing to do for a long time…" Claus mentioned.

"If that's the only option, we would have to go with it," Paula told. "It's better than nothing."

Fuel offered his voice. "What about Murasaki?"

Everyone looked at the brunet, and he had the spotlight for the moment. "Well… it's still a growing village. There's even plenty of trees to cut down for more houses still. Murasaki's mayor can probably find some room for them."

"That's a great idea!" Lucas exclaimed. "I mean… well, Murasaki is a little far from where we are, but it's still walking distance. You can still visit your friend as much as you want if you live there."

"That sounds wonderful," Paula settled.

"In that case, I'll have to go and talk to Murasaki's mayor and explain to him the situation," Thomas stated.

"I can go too. The mayor likes me, so it could help having a friendly face," Fuel offered.

"I'll go with you too," Lucas volunteered. "I'd like to help any way I can." He looked to his twin brother, who weakly rolled his eyes. "Claus?"

"…Fine, I guess I'm going with you two," he admitted.

"We'll need a representative of your group," Lucas told the foreigners. "Do all of you want to come?"

"Ah… I guess I'll go," Paula volunteered. She scooted her chair back, but Poo stopped her.

"No, allow me," he offered. "You and the others should take the time to rest."

"We should head out soon while the day is still young then," Thomas suggested.

Lucas and Poo nodded. "Sounds good," said the former.

Kumatora stood up from her seat. "I need to go update the Magypsies." She waved good-bye without facing everyone, walking out casually.

"And you, Duster?" Lucas asked.

"I don't have much to do as of now…" he admitted.

"Would you mind staying with these guys until we get back, then?" Lucas asked. "In case they need anything while we're gone."

"Not at all. I'll hang out here."

Claus looked to Dr. Andonuts. "Doctor, I know you might be tired… but is there any way you can hide your time machine or something? We really can't let anyone learn about technology."

"Understandable." Dr. Andonuts stood up, slowly making his way to the door. "I have to go make sure it's okay anyways… and figure out how to hide it."

"Is technology bad in this world?" Paula asked.

"It's what caused a huge downfall in the past," Lucas answered. "Everyone who lives on this island has agreed to forego technology and live off the land."

"Oh…"

Claus recognized the disenchanted look on the girl's face. "I bet there's more technology back where you came from. Sorry to disappoint, but it's something we have to respect."

"Oh, no I don't really mind," Paula told. "I think it would be nice to live like this for a change. My parents would agree, too."

"Wait, _no technology_ …?" Jeff repeated.

"No technology," Paula echoed. "I guess you and your dad are going to have the hardest time out of all of us."

Jeff placed a hand on his forehead. "Oh gosh… I think I really need to lie down now." He stood up and began making his way to his room. Everyone stared at him with slight concern.

Lucas stood up from his seat and pushed in his chair. "All right, it's time for us to go then. We'll be back as soon as possible."

Paula nodded. But before Lucas turned around, she remembered something she wanted to ask, and gasped an "oh." The blond male noticed and waited for her to speak, but she abruptly paused.

"I... was going to ask about how you know Porky. But perhaps we can save that for another time... at least when Ness is awake."

"Don't worry, we can talk more later." Lucas grinned at her.

Thomas, Poo, and the trio of brothers exited the inn. Thomas needed to leave a man temporarily in charge, and inform his family that he would be away for a while. They agreed to group up again at the east gate before departing together.

At the crossroads of the east gate, Poo surveyed the area around him. A decently sized valley had been mined down to form a gate between Tazmily Village and a route to two different ways. Passing through, there were a number of housings along the road and off the trail, one of them being a woodworker's settlement that the trio recognized as their go-to place for materials. Beyond their settlement was a large, bright green forest, which was uninhabited by anything but the greenery itself. Poo glanced away and trailed his eyes along the other dirt route, which led to an expansive greenery that darkened as the pathway led on. A violet-hued forest with a narrow clearing lied ahead, which gave off a melancholy but welcoming vibe.

"That's where we're going," Lucas pointed out. Poo tried to get a different angle of view from his mounted seat, but almost slipped off if he hadn't held onto the blond's torso.

"Is there a large settlement of people in that forest?" Poo asked.

"I haven't seen it for myself yet, actually…" Lucas answered. "But from what I guess, there's maybe about forty or so people living there."

"And they all live in peace?"

"Oh, they're very nice," Fuel responded. "Sometimes it can be eerily quiet, but that's just because there's not a lot to do other than swimming in the lake. You were either doing that, building more houses, harvesting crops, or gathering fruit from trees."

"Fuel, didn't you say there were psychics there, too?" Claus questioned.

"Yeah. Why, you interested in meeting them now?"

Claus sighed, subtly staring at Poo. "Well, considering we've already met a few of them today… it's not like it's a bad thing."

"I'd think it'd be nice to have more psychic friends," Lucas mentioned. "Plus, I'd like to hear their story if we get the chance. You said they were attacked by an alien, right?"

The brunet nodded. "I did."

"An alien? Like my previous enemy? That sounds interesting to me as well," Poo added. "I hope we can afford a brief moment to see them then."

Claus shrugged. "We'll see."

As they waited patiently by the gate, Thomas eventually arrived at their side. After establishing their goals together once again, they set off on the path to Murasaki.

In the back of Lucas's mind, he recalled his adventures within the forest where the Chimera Lab lied: an establishment belonging to his enemies. Now, he wondered what kind of peaceful place the deep forest's village turned out to be. Moreover, he was curious as to what kind of people he would meet. He had only seen vague faces of them from when the new islanders arrived long ago. He was especially intrigued by the fact that he was about to meet more psychics… and hoped they would be as friendly as the time travelers.

Lucas put on a confident smile, only hoping for the best, as he and his companions took their first step into Murasaki.


End file.
